IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


;V 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


□    Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


Couverture  endommag6e 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pellicul6e 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  g6ographiques  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


r~7\    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr^e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  int6rieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout6es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  Ati  filmdes. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires; 


L'Institut  a  microfiimd  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  ddtails 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtrn  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 

□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

□    Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

I — I    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 


D 


Pages  restauries  et/ou  pelliculies 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxec 
Pages  d6coior6es,  tachet6es  ou  piqudes 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tach^es 

Showthroughy 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualiti  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  suppldmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seulie  Edition  disponible 


I — I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

j      I  Pages  detached/ 

I      I  Showthrough/ 

I      I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6X6  filmdes  6  nouveau  de  fapon  6 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


Tl 
to 


Tl 

P< 
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fil 


O 

b< 
th 
si 
oi 

fi( 
si 

OI 


Tl 
sf 
Tl 
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"1 
re 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  Indiqu6  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

^ 

12X                             16X                            20X                             24X                            28X                            32X 

The  copy  filmsd  hare  hat  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarostty  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


L'axamplaira  filmi  fut  raproduit  grAca  6  la 
ginArositA  da: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 


Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copias  in  printad  papar  covers  ara  fitmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  last  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impras- 
sion,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copias  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  paga  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrcced  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »■  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  AtA  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nattetA  de  I'exemplaira  film*,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprim^e  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  paga  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  darniire  paga  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
darniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ♦-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  ie 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film^s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  ii  est  filmi  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite. 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagas  n^cessaira.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mithode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Hi 


HISTORY 

(IK    IIIK 

INDIAN   TRIBES 

OP 

flortj]  Itineritn, 

WITH   BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND   ANECDOTES 

or  riiK 

PRINCIPAL  CHIEFS. 

KMTlKlI.ISUrn    WITH 

(Eigljtn   Portrailo  from  tijc  Jubian  *i?rtllcrn 

IN    THK 

\VAR  DKrAKTMKNT  AT  \VAsmN(iT<)N'. 

BY  THOMAS  L.  M  KENNF.Y, 

l.ATi;     OF     THK     I  S  I>  I  A  N      r' K  P  A  I:  T '-l  K  N  T  .      UASHINOToN. 


TWO  VOLS.  TLATIOS.— TWO  VOLS.  TEXT. 

VOL.    IL  — TEXT. 


Pfi.ClTlC       .         •  PUBT.lfillEI)  BY  D.  RUE  &  CO., 


:m  MLN'OU  STKKKT. 


■ 


This  edition  of  the  "  Hisrjpy  ok  the  iNni.w  Tkii;ks  of 
North  Amkkica"  consists  of  two  vohimes,  foHo,  containinj;-  (So 
Lakgk  Ciii.oKKi)  PoRiKAns,  and  two  volumes,  imperial  8vo.,  con- 
taining historical  and  descriptive  text,  and  is  Li.mitki)  m  35  Skts, 
of  which  this  is  No.    _ 


/ 


HALrATTEll  MICCO,  oa  BILLY  BOWLEGS. 


Tn  the  sketches  of  other  Seminole  chiefs,  and  in  the  general 
Indian  history,  some  account  of  this  singular  tribe  of  our  aborigines 
has  been  given.  Hai,patteb  Micco's  history  possesses  peculiar 
interest,  because  he  was  among  the  very  last  few  leaders  of  the 
fugitive  race  who  were  associated  with  the  stirring  scenes  which 
transferred  the  remnant  of  it  to  the  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi. 

His  father,  Secoffer,  was  an  ally  of  the  English,  and  cherished 
bitter  hostility  towards  the  Spaniards,  taking  the  field  against  them 
in  the  troubles  that  followed  the  recession  of  Florida  to  their  sov- 
ereignty. When  dying,  at  the  age  of  seventy,  he  called  to  his  side 
his  two  sons,  Payne  and  Bowlegs,  and  solemnly  chai'ged  them  to 
carry  out  his  unfinished  plans ;  and,  at  any  cost,  complete  the  sacri- 
fice of  one  hundred  Spaniards,  of  which  number  he  had  killed 
eighty-six.  This  bloody  offering,  he  affirmed,  the  Great  Spirit  had 
required  at  his  hand  to  open  for  him  the  gate  of  Paradise.  We 
need  scarcely  add,  that  such  requests  were  sacredly  regarded  by 
the  Indians  in  their  uncivilized  state.  Their  fidelity  to  their  vows 
and  treaties  was  in  sad  and  singular  contrast  with  the  faithless 
dealing  of  their  white  invaders. 

In  1821,  Florida  came  into  the  possession  of  the  United  States, 
having  within  its  limits  four  thousand  Seminoles,  including  the 
women  and  children,  and  eight  hundred  slaves.  The  log  cabins, 
environed  by  cultivated  clearings,  or  grouped  together  in  villages, 
dotted  the  country  from  St.  Augustine  to  Apalachicola  River,  and 
attracted  the  covetous  eye  of  emigrants  tlocking  into  the  territory. 

Pacific  N.N/^'.i-ii^^- 

gRQVlNC.lA.-   L^-^ARY 


0 


JIIOGK  Al'lIY. 


Tlic  Sciiiiiiolcs'  [ilfii  of  right  to  thu  lands  by  possoswion  had  littlo 
weight  ISO  long  as  the  Govcriiiiu'iit  did  not  ivcogiiizc  tlu-  chiiiii. 

Two  years  later,  the  Indians  were  ])ressod  int(j  a  relinqiiishment 
ol'  lands  in'  treaty,  anil  restriction  within  certain  origimil  boiuid- 
aries.  Slaves  ran  away  I'roni  white  masters,  and  the  Sennnoles 
refused  to  send  them  back;  property  was  stolen,  .md  re[»risals 
made;  and  the  occasions  of  (piarrel  readily  onibraced  by  the 
settlers,  nn*.;l  a  sanguinary  coiillict  seemed  ready  to  open  its  hor- 
rors upon  the  mixed  population.  Then  came  the  celebrated 
'•Treaty  of  Payne's  Landing,"  made  on  tlie  !)tli  of  May,  1832, 
which  Mr.  Gadsden,  connnissioned  by  Secretary  Cass,  after  much 
diiliculty.  induced  a  part  of  tiie  Seminole  chiefs  to  sign.  A  dele- 
gation was  to  visit  the  lands  west  of  tin;  Mississippi,  and  if  the 
leport  was  favorable,  the  Florida  possessions  were  to  be  ceded  to 
the  whites,  and  the  removal  of  the  Indians  was  to  follow.  In  this 
treaty,  tlie  name  of  IIali-attku  Micco  makes  its  first  appearance  in 
public  all'airs.  A  youthful  sub-chief  of  Arp\ncki,  or  "Sam  Jone.s," 
he  seems  to  have  liecn  briljed  or  flattered  into  giving  his  sign,  while 
Micanopys,  wlio  was  the  real  head  of  the  nation,  and  that  of  other 
Avell-known  chiefs,  were  wanting  on  a  document  Avliich,  in  the 
result,  sealed  the  doom  of  the  Seminoles.  Indeed,  the  delegation 
rei)uiliated  the  treaty,  and  Asseola,  a  sagacious,  crufty,  and  daring 
Indian,  determined  to  outgeneral  the  I'ramers  of  the  instrument. 
In  private  life,  he  nevertheless  ruled  the  councils  of  the  aged 
Micanopy,  and  laid  a  deep  plot  of  resistance  to  the  Government. 
A  negotiation,  and  a  feigned  treaty  of  removal,  were  used  as  means 
of  delay,  to  give  time  for  preparation  to  make  war.  It  was 
resolved  that  if  a  Seminole  sold  his  property  to  go  west,  he  should 
be  slain.  Months  passed  by,  and  as  autumn  ripened  the  fields, 
Charley-e-Mathla,  a  prominent  chief,  was  waylaid  and  killed, 
because  he  bad  connnenced  the  sale  of  his  cattle,  and  the  money 
in  his  possession  forbidden  by  Asseola  to  be  touched,  lie  declaring 
that  "it  was  the  blood  of  the  red  man."     December  28th,  1882, 


TULLV    HOWLKOS. 


occurred  tlic  nuinlcr  ol"  Genenil  Tlioinpsoii  iiiid  Lii'iitoimnt  Smith, 
iis  tlicy  walked  on  a  sunny  id'tcnioon  out  ol'  tlie  Fort,  by  Indiiins 
in  anihuHli,  witiiin  ^iiilit  ol"  tlie  fortresH.  A  larger  lorce  was  sent 
to  meet  Major  Dade,  wlio  vas  advaiu'ing  Irom  Fort  Jirookc.  Ou 
the  same  day  that  Asseola's  hand  dis[)Rti'hcd  (Jeneral  Tiiom2)son, 
this  body  of  savages,  numbering  one  hundred  and  eighty,  fired 
from  behind  forest-trees,  without  a  sound  of  warning,  —  the  leaden 
hail  bringing  down  half  of  the  men  at  the  fu'st  lire.  Only  four 
privates,  out  of  the  eight  oflicers  and  one  hundred  and  two  troops 
in  the  ranks,  escaped.  This  was  the  opening  of  the  Floiida  war, 
whose  havoo  and  death  eost  the  nation  not  less  than  §4(),()()O,U00 
and  three  thousand  brave  soldiers. 

Asseola,  who  had  himself  broken  treaty,  was  treacherously 
betrayed,  and  sent  to  Fort  Moultrie  to  die  of  broken  heart,  (.'oa- 
cochu,  or  Wild  Cat,  surrendered,  and  successively  bands  were  scatr 
tered,  and  the  remnant  of  the  tril)e  wa^^  driven  toward  the  dark, 
impassable  everglades.  In  July,  ISoi),  IIam'Attku  Micco  made 
himself  conspicuous  by  a  bold  and  daring  exploit  to  retrieve  the 
falling  fortunes  of  his  people.  Under  an  arrangement  by  Com- 
mander Macomb  with  "  Sam  Jones,"  a  leading  chief,  assigning  certain 
limits  beyond  which  the  Indians  should  not  pass,  and  within  which 
protection  should  be  excluded,  Colonel  llarneyAvas  sent  to  estab- 
lish a  trading-post.  lie  encamped  with  thirty  men  on  an  open, 
desolate  plain,  near  the  Cooloosahatchce  Eiver,  and  held  unsuspect- 
ing intercourse  daily  with  the  Seminoles.  As  the  dawn  of  the  22d 
of  July  fell  on  the  white  tents,  Halpatter  Micco,  at  the  head  of 
two  hundred  warriors,  rushed  upon  the  sleeping  inmates.  The 
surprise  was  so  complete,  no  resistance  was  oflered.  Twenty-four 
were  killed;  the  rest  lied,  Harney  himself  barely  escaping  by 
swimming  from  the  river-baidc  to  a  fishing-smacl<  anchored  in  the 
stream.  From  this  successful  raid  dates  the  sudden  and  growing 
greatness  of  the  leader,  who  was  soon  elevated  to  the  position  of 
principal  chief,  in  place  of  "  Sam  Jones,"  deposed  because  of  his 


8  BIOGRAPHY. 

aflviiiici'il  )i<r((  and  iii(iiiiiiti«'M.  Tlio  sovorcigiify  was  now  a  narrow 
one,  iiicliKliiiK'  luit  iikh'c  tlniii  two  laindrcd  and  fifty  .souls,  of  whom 
eifilily  wcio  warriors.  H.\i,r.\TTKK  Micco  saw  that  tla-  stalu;  was 
lost,  and  treaty  alone  left  for  his  people.  He  found  this  was  pos- 
sible, for  the  United  States  Government  was  weaiy  of  the  terrible 
struggle,  and  appeared  at  headquarters  to  avail  liimsdf  of  the  only 
hope.  The  result  was,  the  allotment  of  a  small  territory,  as  a 
planting  and  hunting  ground,  and  the  announcement,  August  14, 
1842,  that  the  Florida  war  was  clo.sed. 

The  peace  thus  secured  contiiuiod  more  than  half  a  score  of 
years,  when,  in  1856,  rumors  were  abroad  that  a  reopening  of  the 
conflict  was  at  hand.  Skirmishes  followed,  and  aH'airs  were  unset- 
tled for  two  years.  IIalfattkh  Micco,  by  money,  "  fire-water," 
and  "parley,"  was  induced  to  join  his  l)rethren  in  Arkansas.  In 
the  spring  of  LSoS  he  left  his  native  Flori'^  with  thirty-three 
warriors,  eighty  women  and  children,  and  embarked  for  New  Or- 
leans. "  Sam  Jones,"  almost  a  century  old,  with  thirty-eight 
warriors,  refused  at  any  price  to  leave;  the  women  following  the 
departing  chief,  'King  Billy,"  with  shouts  of  derision,  because  he 
had  sold  his  people  to  the  paU;  faces,  lie  was  accompanied  by  bis 
Lieutenant,  Long  Jack,  a  brother-in-law;  Ko-Kush-adjo,  his  In- 
spector-Cieneral,  a  fine-looking  Indian ;  and  Ikui-Bruno,  his  Inter- 
preter and  adviser,  an  intelligent  negro. 

At  New  Orleans  he  was  the  "  lion  "  of  the  day.  lie  illustrated 
the  humiliating  fact,  that  contact  with  the  whites  has  been  destruc- 
tive to  the  sobriety  of  the  Indian,  and  generally  demoralizing;  — 
an  account  to  be  adjusted  at  the  last  assi/.e,  before  an  impartial 
Judge.  The  libations  were  freely  offered  and  accepted,  until  the 
Seminole  Chief  was  a  reeling  inebriate  in  the  streets  of  the 
Crescent  City. 

lie  reached  his  lands  in  Arkansas,  and,  without  any  notable 
events  in  his  history,  a  few  years  later,  died,  about  fifty  years 
of  age. 


•^^^M^ 


BILLY    BOWLEGS. 


0 


In  porsoniil  iippciinincc,  lio  was  called  f^ood-luoking.  IIIh  forc- 
liciul  Wits  hroiid  and  liii;li,  and  under  it  Hashed  a  .sliarp  Wack  eye,, 
indicatin,;;'  tlie  .slirewdne.sH  and  Ay  running  cIuiracteriHtic  of  tli'.) 
man.  His  lieight  \va«  above  medium,  and  his  person  stout,  tliough 
not  e()r[)ident. 

His  imtnediato  family  comprised  two  wives,  one  of  them  com- 
paratively young ;  si.v  children,  of  whom  five  were  daiighter-s ;  and 
fifty  Hlaves.  He  had.  when  he  left  Florida,  a  fortune  of  onts  hun- 
dred thousand  doliarH.  The  co.stume  he  Avore  was  national  and 
picturesque.  On  his  breast  were  two  medals,  bearing  the  like- 
nesses of  Presidents  Van  Buren  and  Fillmore. 

The  name  Bowlegs  was  simply  n  family  cognomitii  having  no 
reference  to  any  physical  peculiarity.  We  bell^'o  there  is  no 
evidence  that  he  renounced  his  native  hoatheni;  m,  and  embraced 
the  gospel  of  (,'hrist;  —  a  sad  but  not  a  singular  lii"t,  Avith  the 
lesL-uns  of  his  intercourse  with  the  supplanters  of  his  iice. 


KEESHESWA. 


The  medicine  men  were  formerly  held  in  high  repute  among  the 
Indians;  but  in  some  of  the  tribes  the  faith  in  them  has  lately  been 
much  shaken.  Imposture,  however  ingenious,  exercises  over  the 
human  mind  a  precarious  sway,  which  is  constantly  liable  to  de- 
tection ;  and  the  influence  of  the  medicine  men  is  based  on  a  com- 
bination of  imposture  and  superstition.  They  who  practise  the  art 
are  alike  deceivers  and  deceived.  To  a  certain  extent  they  believe 
in  the  efficacy  of  their  own  spells;  but  as  the  fallacy  of  these 
practices  becomes  obvious  to  themselves,  they  are  driven  to  ino-e- 
nious  contrivances  to  keep  up  the  delusion,  and  sink  into  insignifi- 
cance, or  become  artful  impostors,  just  as  they  may  happen  to  be 
cunning  and  successful,  or  the  reverse. 

There  are  medicine  men  among  all  the  tribes.  Their  ordinary 
business  is  to  cure  diseases,  and  their  remedies  are  chiefly  spells, 
although  most  of  them  resortalso,  in  plain  cases,  to  their  knowledge 
of  the  qualities  of  medicinal  plants.  But  the  latter  branch  of  their 
practice  is  limited  by  the  acquaintance  which  the  Indians  generally 
possess  of  simple  remedies,  and  by  their  habit  of  using  them  when 
occasion  requires.  The  medicine  men  are  also  dreamers,  and  inter- 
preters of  dreams,  employing,  in  this  part  of  their  profession,  much 
the  same  degree  of  inlclloct  and  cunning  which  are  practised  b}- 
the  fortune-tellers  who  practise  upon  the  credulity  of  the  vulgar  in 
more  civilized  communities.  Sometimes  they  rise  to  a  higher  pro- 
ficiency in  their  art,  and  assume  the  name  of  prophets,  mingling 
in  the  political  affairs  of  their  tribes,  and  assuming  rank  in  the 

(10) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


11 


council:!,  in  virtue  of  their  supposed  favor  with  the  gods,  and  pre 
science  of  events. 

Keesheswa,  The  Sun,  is  a  medicine  man  of  note  in  the  Musqua- 
kee  tribe,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  judge  from  appearances,  is  a  devout 
behever  in  his  science.  Although  in  good  hcallh,  and  apparently 
a  sound  sleeper,  he  dreams  very  often,  and  very  much  to  the  pur- 
pose. He  adheres  firmly  to  all  the  ancient  super  titions  of  his 
people,  and  is  a  stickler  for  the  usages  of  his  forefathers.  lie  is 
especially  discreet  and  observant  of  form  in  his  smoking,  and  never 
puts  the  pipe  into  his  mouth  without  due  solemnity,  nor  omits  any 
of  the  little  proprieties  which  should  accompany  this  ceremony. 
While  he  enjoys  his  pipe  with  the  complacency  of  a  true  lover  of 
the  weed,  no  one  who  has  witnessed  the  initiatory  forms  with  which 
he  lights  it,  would  suspect  him  of  smolving  for  mere  emjjloymcnt. 
He  goes  through  it  with  a  seriousness  which  shows  that  he  con- 
siders it  a  matter  of  no  small  moment :  and  that,  liowovcr  affreeable 
may  be  the  sedative  effect  of  the  tobacco,  the  act  of  inhaling  the 
smoke  is  closely  connected  with  his  religious  opinions.  He  is  a 
sincere  and  honest  smoker. 

The  reputation  of  Keesheswa,  a"  a  medicine  man,  is  not  so  great 
as  it  was  a  few  years  ago.  The  more  intelligent  of  the  Sauks  and 
Musquakees,  in  consequence  ])robal)ly  of  their  intercourse  with  the 
whites,  liavc  become  skeptical  in  regard  to  the  efficacy  of  spells  ; 
and,  except  when  under  strong  excitement,  treat  their  medicine  men 
with  an  indifference  amounting  almost  to  levity.  AVhcn  threatened 
by  danger,  or  blinded  by  passion,  superstition  regains  its  sway;  but 
as  a  general  fact,  the  juggler  is  less  esteemed  than  formerly. 

Keesheswa  is  much  respected  as  an  intlividual.  His  deportment 
is  inoffensive,  and  he  is  believed  to  be  sincere  i  nis  own  belief  of  the 
efficacy  of  his  spells — which  we  suppose  to  be  true  of  but  few  of 
his  class.  At  all  events,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  see  him  smoke  his  pipe, 
and  quite  impossible  to  treat  with  levity  an  occupation  in  which  he 
engages  with  a  truly  devout  and  edifying  gravity  of  demeanor. 


THE  CHIPPEWAY  WIDOW. 


This  picture,  which  we  copy  from  Colonel  McKenney's  Tour 
through  the  North-Western  Lakes,  is  not  the  portrait  of  any  indi- 
vidual, but  is  intended  to  represent  a  singular  custom  which  prevails 
among  the  Chippeway  Indians,  and  we  insert  it  to  give  variety  to 
our  pages. 

A  Chippeway  widow,  on  the  death  of  her  husband,  selects  from 
his  scanty  wardrobe,  a  complete  suit  of  his  best  clothes,  which  she 
makes  uj)  into  a  bundle.  This  is  placed  near  her  while  at  work, 
and  is  carried  wherever  she  goes.  She  calls  it  her  husband,  treats 
it  with  the  respect  which  would  be  due  to  a  living  lord  and  mas- 
ter, and  would  be  considered  as  disgracing  herself  and  treating 
his  memory  with  disrespect,  if  she  was  to  part  with  it  even  for  a 
moment. 

The  custom  is  a  beautiful  and  affecting  one,  which,  had  it  pre- 
vailed in  the  days  of  the  Greeks  or  Romans,  would  have  been  im- 
mortalized by  the  poet  and  historian,  and  been  often  quoted  and 
referred  to  as  a  graceful  instance  of  the  classic  taste  of  the  ancients. 
It  is  the  more  remarkable  as  occurring  in  the  most  inhospitable 
region  of  our  country,  where  the  inclemency  of  the  climate  and 
the  sterile  nature  of  the  soil  impose  upon  the  inhabitants  the  neces- 
sity of  constant  exertion  to  procure  a  scanty  subsistence.  This 
state  of  penury  falls  especially  hard  upon  the  women,  who  are 
doomed  to  continual  labor.  From  a  class  so  wretchedly  poor,  and 
so  severely  tasked,  we  should  scarcely  expect  the  exhibition  of  so 
refined  a  sentiment  as  is  indicated  by  the   custom  we  have  de- 

(12) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


18 


scribed ;  nor  is  it  less  remarkable,  that  the  wretched  inhabitants  of 
a  frozen  region  should  encumber  their  toils  by  an  addition  which 
must  often  be  burdensome  and  inconvenient.  But  what  will  not 
woman  do — what  does  she  not  do,  in  every  clime,  in  compliance 
with  the  laws  of  fashion,  or  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  the  heart  ? 
The  Chippeway  widow  carries  her  "  husband"  during  the  season 
of  mourning,  which  is  one  year,  and  during  that  time  cannot  marry 
without  gross  impropriety.  If  she  does  not  marry  at  the  close  of 
the  year,  she  usually  continues  to  carry  the  badge  of  her  widow- 
hood until  she  is  relieved  of  it  by  the  nearest  relatives  of  her  de- 
ceased husband,  who  may  at  any  time,  when  they  conceive  she  has 
mourned  long  enough,  call  upon  her,  and  take  away  the  bundle, 
after  which  she  is  at  liberty  to  contract  a  second  marriage. 


J 


This  is  the  first  specimen  we  have  presented  of  a  small  though 
very  interesting  tribe.  The  Menominies,  or  FoUes  Avoines,  inhabit 
the  country  between  the  lakes  and  the  Mississi[)pi  river,  their  prin- 
cipal residence  being  west  of  Lako  Michigan,  whence  they  stray  into 
the  country  of  the  Winnebagoes,  wlio  are  tlioir  friends.  Their  lan- 
guage is  peculiar  and  difficult  to  be  learned  by  white  men.  Char- 
levoi.ic  says  they  were  not  numerous  in  his  time,  and  they  are  now 
reduced  to  a  few  tliousand  souls.  The  early  writers  all  sjieak  of 
them  in  favorable  terms,  not  only  as  "very  fine  men,  the  best  shaped 
of  all  Canada,"  but  as  possessing  an  agreeable  personal  a])pcarance, 
indicative  of  more  neatness,  and  of  a  greater  taste  for  ornament 
than  that  of  any  other  of  our  north-western  Indians.  But  they  are 
now  greatly  degenerated,  as  we  have  remarked  in  our  historical 
introduction,  in  consequence  of  their  intercourse  with  the  whites, 
and  their  faud  propensity  for  ardent  spirits. 

They  are  of  a  lighter  comjilexion  than  the  Indians  around  tliem, 
from  whom  also  they  diller  in  being  less  fierce  and  warlike.  Tliough 
brave,  they  are  peaceable,  subsisting  chiefiy  on  the  wild  rice  ov  false 
oafs,  from  wliicli  they  derive  their  French  designation,  and  avoid- 
ing, either  from  indolence  or  a  dislike  of  war,  the  quarrels  in  which 
their  neighbors  are  continually  engaged.  The  women  are  ])atient, 
obedient,  and  l;il)orions,  and  when  introduced  into  the  families  of 
the  traders  residing  in  the  wilderness,  are  preferred  as  domestics  to 
those  of  the  otlier  Indian  tribes. 

We  know  litUe  of  the  history  of  this  people.     The  whites  as  well 


1 
f 


MARKOMETE. 


% 


BIOGRAPHY. 


15 


as  the  Indians  respect  them  for  their  inofTensive  habits,  but  all  admit 
that,  when  engaged  in  war,  they  have  always  borne  themselves 
with  exemplary  courage.  However  their  pride  may  be  subdued 
by  circumstances,  it  is  not  less  than  that  of  the  kindred  tribes  of 
their  race;  and  evinces  itself  in  the  same  contemptof  danger  which 
marks  the  conduct  of  all  the  aborigines.  It  is  the  singular  boast 
of  this  tribe,  that  no  other  nation  holds  a  Menominie  as  a  slave  or 
prisoner.  Their  invariable  rule  has  been  to  prefer  death  to  capti- 
vity, and  when  accidentally  taken  alive,  to  provoke  their  captors  by 
the  grossest  insults  to  despatch  them  on  the  spot. 

Markomete,  if  still  ali  ve,  is  upwards  of  seventy  years  of  age.  His 
name,  which  signifies  "  Bear's  Oil,"  may  not  seem,  to  our  ears,  to 
be  appropriate  or  in  good  taste ;  but  as  the  fat  of  the  bear  is  esteemed 
a  great  delicacy  among  the  Indians,  when  used  as  food,  besides 
being  valuable  for  other  purposes,  the  designation  may  be  as  honor- 
able in  their  estimation  as  to  us  are  those  of  Ccesar  or  Napoleon. 
He  has  been  well  known  as  a  warrior  of  excellent  repute,  a  suc- 
cessful hunter,  and  a  man  of  fair  character.  He  was  one  of  a  depu- 
tation of  his  people  who  visited  Washington  a  few  years  ago,  and 
though  not  a  chief,  was  a  person  of  influence. 


ASSEOLA, 


A    SEMINOLE    LEADER. 


We  have  already,  in  our  notices  of  Miranopy,  and  otlier  Semi 
noles,  touched  in  a  cursory  manner  upon  the  history  of  that  people, 
and  tlic  causes  of  the  war  between  them  and  the  United  States. 
We  have  shown  that  the  Seminolcs  were  chiefly  renegades  from 
the  Creek  and  other  nations  within  the  United  States,  who,  tak- 
ing refuge  in  tlic  wilds  of  Florida,  while  that  province  was  a  de- 
pendency of  Spain,  united  in  hands,  and  carried  on  a  predatory  war 
against  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States.  During  the  war  between 
this  country  and  Great  Britain,  they  joined  our  enemies,  and  after- 
wards, in  ISlfi,  made  war  upon  us.  They  not  only,  therefore,  had 
no  title  to  the  lands  of  Florida,  but  their  claims  upon  the  generosity 
of  our  government  were  equally  slender.  In  1S21,  General  Jackson, 
then  Governor  of  Florida,  urged  upon  the  government  at  Washington 
the  propriety  of  sending  back  to  the  Creek  country  ail  the  refugees 
from  lh:w  nation,  as  he  foresaw  the  most  disastrous  conse(|uences 
from  their  continuance  in  the  territory.  Colonel  White,  a  represent- 
ative in  Congri  ss  from  that  territory,  in  a  letter  to  tiie  Secretary  of 
War,  written  in  1822,  pre.s.sed  the  same  considerations  upon  the 
administration,  and  urged  the  removal  of  those  intruders  as  the  only 
eflicient  means  of  giving  quiet  to  the  country.  Had  tliose  sugges- 
tions been  ado])ted,  the  restless  spirits  who  have  since  given  anima- 
tion to  these  ferocious  bands  would  have  been  removed,  and  wc 

(10) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


17 


sliniild  have  been  spared  the  pain  and  expense  of  a  protracted  war 
A  contrary  policy  was  nnfortiniritcly  pursued  ;  liumanity  dictated  a 
temporizing  course,  wliicli  lius  proved  eminently  disastrous;  the 
Seminoles  were  recognized  as  a  separate  people,  and  treaties  were 
held  with  their  chief  men  for  the  purchase  of  the  wilds  through 
which  they  roamed,  and  th  removal  of  their  peoph;.  By  the  treaty 
of  Camp  INToultrie,  held  on  the  18th  Sejitember,  1S2:},  they  wore 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  territory  for  twenty  years,  and  were  thus 
es1al)lished  in  the  country,  and  their  claims  acknowledged  to  lands 
to  which  they  had  not  the  shadow  of  a  title. 

The  forbearance  of  tlie  American  government  towards  the  Semi- 
noles was  in  accordance  with  the  humane  ])olicy  wliicU  has  marked 
all  its  measures  in  regard  to  the  aborigines.  In  no  instance  have  the 
Indians  been  treated  with  cruelty  or  injustice  by  the  deliljerate  action 
of  tlic  national  Executive  or  legislature,  whose  whole  course  towards 
them  lias  been  beneficent  and  forbearing.  When  it  has  been  found 
necessary  to  remove  them  from  their  hunting-grounds,  tlie  most 
ample  remuneration  has  always  been  provided,  and  other  lands 
assigned  them,  better  suited  to  their  condition.  Their  lands  have 
never  beeu  taken  from  them,  except  by  piu'chase;  and  so  careful 
has  the  goveriunent  been  to  avoid  even  the  appearance  of  injustice, 
that,  where  several  tribes  have  claimed  the  same  lands,  they  have 
paid  the  full  equivalent  to  each ;  and  in  cases  where  the  tribes  have 
lefused  to  comjjly  with  the  treaties  made  by  their  chiefs,  the  same 
lands  have  been  purchased  over  and  over  from  the  same  people,  and 
as  repeatedly  paid  for. 

But  while  the  government  and  people  of  the  United  States  have 
been  actuated  by  the  most  .  -^nevolcnt  intentions,  their  views  have 
been  signally  frustrated  by  the  inefficiency  of  the  system  by  wliich 
their  intercourse  with  Indians  has  been  attempted  to  be  I'cgulated, 
by  the  weakness  or  misconduct  of  their  own  agents,  and  by  a  variety 
of  causes  inseparable  from  transactions  conducted  in  a  wilderness 
far  distant  from  the  seat  of  government.     The  wrongs  perpetrated 


18 


ASSEOLA. 


against  the  Indians  litive  been  mimorous  and  fl;it,n-ant.  'I'lio  wide 
sclienip  of  peculation  and  pillajfo  jiractised  \)y  liands  of  oxjx'rt 
knaves  wlio  infest  the  frontiers,  has  been  sliajied  into  a  s3stein, 
which  has  now  become  so  complicated  and  enormous  as  almost  to 
defy  the  hand  of  reform.  The  Indian  Dei)artmcnt  is  one  of  the 
most  expensive  branches  of  our  government,  consuming  annually 
vast  sums,  liberally  appropriated  for  the  good  of  the  red  man,  ol" 
which  but  a  small  portion  ever  reaches  its  destination ;  and  they  are 
constantly  subject  to  abuse  and  insidt  of  the  most  ignominious 
character.  The  desperate  and  dissolute  men  who  fly  to  the  frontier 
as  a  place  of  refuge,  or  sei'k  it  as  a  theatre  for  intrigue  or  violence, 
find  easy  victims  in  the  iu:norant  savage,  who  claims  no  prott-ction 
from  the  law,  and  whose  demand  for  protection  or  revenge  cannot 
reach  the  ear  of  a  distant  government. 

In  no  part  of  our  country  were  the  Indians  worse  used  than  in 
Florida,  where  the  most  scandalous  outrages  were  perpetrated  upon 
their  ))ersons  and  property,  provoked  often  by  their  own  ferocity 
and  Ijad  faith,  but,  nevertheless,  wholly  inexcusable.  Under  the 
pretence  of  reclaiming  property,  alleged  to  luive  been  stolen  by  the 
Indians,  their  country  was  enterexl  by  lawless  jier.sons,  whose  sole 
object  was  plunder,  tlieir  houses  pillaged,  their  cattle  driven  away, 
and  themselves  cruelly  maltreated.  Frauds  in  pecuniary  tran-sac- 
tions,  of  gross  criminality  and  enormous  amount,  were  practised 
both  upon  the  government  and  the  Indians.  Complaints  of  tlie.se 
abuses,  and  evidence  of  their  existence  have  reached  the  ears  of  the 
Executive,  and  of  Congress,  but  no  sustained  ellbrt  has  ever  been 
made  to  investigate  or  correct  tiietn;  no  patriot  has  heen  loniid 
who  would  devote  himself  to  a  cause  so  worthy  of  the  highest  ellbrts 
of  the  Christian  and  the  statesman ;  and  thus  luus  the  political  para- 
dox been  presented,  of  a  peojjle  practically  oj)pressed  by  a  mag- 
nanimous nation,  ent(>rtanung  towards  them  the  kindest  svmpatliics, 
and  annually  expending  miUious  for  their  defence,  support.  ?uul 
welfare. 


HIOGHAPIIY. 


1!) 


The  col(!l)r;ito(l  individual  of  wlioin  wo  arc  about  to  "rive  a  l)not 
acconiii,  is  known  to  tlie  public  uiidcr  tlie  various  appclialioiis  of 
Powell,  Osoeola,  0(  cola,  Asscola,  Osiuiola,  and  Assini  Yaliola ;  liiit 
his  true  name  is  that  which  wo  havo  placed  at  tiic  head  of  tiiis 
article.  Powell  is  the  surname  of  a  white  nan  wjio  married  tlie 
mother  of  Asscola,  after  the  deatii  of  his  father,  and  wliose  name 
was  very  n.-iturally  given  to  the  youth  wlio  had  thus  become  one  of 
his  family.  Osceohi  signifies  the  "  Rising  Sun,"  and  has  been 
erroneously  adopted  by  nuuiy,  as  well  on  account  of  its  similarity 
of  sound  to  the  true  name,  as  from  its  suj)poscd  adaptation  to  the 
character  and  position  of  thi.-  daring  leader.  The  true  name  is  de- 
rived from  Jsse,  "the  black  drink,"  and  Ola,  "a  waterfall."  We 
have,  in  another  ])lace,  mentioned  a  ])eculiar  custom  of  the  Creeks, 
who,  previous  to  entering  into  council,  assemble  in  groups,  and 
drink  freely  of  the  decoction  of  a  certain  herb  of  tlieir  country, 
which  operates  as  an  emetic,  and  whose  effect,  they  imagine,  is  to 
purify  and  invigorate  both  the  mind  and  body,  so  as  to  prepare  them 
for  the  business  of  thought  and  debate.  This  beverage,  which  is 
taken  warm,  and  in  large  quantities,  is  called  the  "  Black  drink," 
from  its  color,  and  among  the  several  names  applied  to  it,  to  ex- 
press its  quality  or  effects,  arc  those  of  asse,  assiniola,  and  assiiii 
yahola.  The  name  A.sseola,  when  freely  translated,  signifies  the 
plentiful  drinker  of  the  black  drink,  or,  one  who  imbibes  tliis  fluid 
in  torrents  ;  and  it  may,  or  may  not,  be  descriptive  of  a  peculiarity 
of  this  individual,  as  Indian  names  are  given  in  childhood,  as  with 
us,  for  the  mere  purpose  of  convenience,  while  they  are  after- 
wards often  superseded  by  others,  descriptive  of  a  prominent 
feature  in  the  character  of  the  person,  or  of  some  of  his  exploits, 
We  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  whether  Asseola  bore  this  name 
in  infancy,  or  acquired  it  by  his  devotion  to  the  nauseating  draught, 
by  vvhich  the  Creek  statesman  makes  a  clean  breast,  prejiaratory  to 
the  solemn  duties  of  the  council. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Asseola  was  a  Scotsman,  who  mar- 


20 


ASS  KOLA. 


ricd  ii  Creek  woniau  ;  liis  1;  titer  tliorefore,  was  ii  liall-l)ree(l,  hut  Ins 
iiiotlier  \v;is  a  Creek  of  llie  (mr.  nlood.  llo  was  Ixiru  oii  the  TaMa- 
poosa  river,  in  liie  Creek  nation,  soinewlierc  hetween  tlic  years  ISOO 
and  l^(t(i,  and  mnsl  have  lu'cn  hetween  thirty  and  thirty-five  years 
of  ;i<^f'  at  tin!  time  of  his  death.  His  Enropeau  descent  is  said  to 
liav(!  heeu  distinctly  indicated  in  his  complexion  and  eyes,  which 
were  li^diter  than  those  of  his  peo|)le.  as  well  as  in  the  featnres  and 
expression  oF  his  countenance.  The  following  spirited  descrijjtion 
of  iiini  is  iVom  a  work  entitled  "  Notices  of  Florida  and  the  Cani- 
paijfns,"  by  M.  M.  Cohen. 

"  When  conv(>rsinir  on  to|)ics  a!,frnouhlc  to  liim,  liis  countenance 
manifests  nior(!  the  disposition  of  the  white  than  of  the  red  man. 
There  is  threat  vivacity  in  the  pltiy  of  his  features,  and  when  excited, 
his  face  is  li;,rhted  up  as  by  a  thousand  fires  of  pa.ssion,  animation,  and 
eiieryy.  His  nose  is  Grecian  at  the  base,  and  would  be  perfectly 
Phidean,  hut  that  it  becomes  slightly  arched.  There  are  indomi- 
table firmness  and  withering  scorn  in  the  expression  of  his  mouth — 
though  the  lips  are  tremulous  from  inicnse  emotions,  which  .seem 
ever  boiling  up  within  him.  About  his  brow,  care,  and  thought, 
and  toil  have  traced  their  channels,  anticipating  on  a  j'outhful  face 
the  work  of  time. 

"  To  those  who  have  known  Oceola  long,  his  fame  docs  not  aj)- 
pear  like  a  sun-burst,  but  as  the  rij)ening  fruit  of  early  promised 
blossoms.  For  years  past  he  has  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  the 
best  ball-player  and  hunter,  and  the  most  expert  at  running,  wrest- 
ling, and  all  active  exercises.  At  .such  times  his  figure,  whence 
all  the  superfluous  flesh  is  worn  down,  cxhilnts  the  most  beautiful 
development  of  muscle  and  power.  He  is  said  to  be  inexhaustible 
from  the  ball  play,  an  exercise  so  violent,  that  the  struggle  for 
mastery  has  been  known  to  cause  the  death  of  one  of  the  combatants. 
When  this  occurs  in  a  fair  contest,  the  survivor  is  not  punished  for 
murder,  as  in  all  other  cases  of  taking  life.  On  one  occasion  Oceola 
acted  as  guide  to  a  party  of  horsemen,  and  finding,  at  startin<  •,  that 


BIOGRAPHY. 


21 


they  prociicdiMl  slowly-,  inquired  tlie  ciiuse.  On  boiiii,^  told  tliut  it, 
was  on  Ins  iu'connt,  with  ono  of  tiioso  smiles  he  alone  can  j^ive,  ho 
hade  tlicui  proceed  inort^  rapidly-  'I'liey  put  spurs  to  tlieir  steeds, 
and  he,  afoot,  lve|)t  up  with  tlwin  duriiiLj;  the  enliri;  route,  nor  tlitl  ho 
exhibit  the  slightest  symptoms  of  fatij,nie  at  the  close  of  day,  hut 
arr'\od  at  the  point  proposed  as  early  as  the  mounted  body." 

Another  writer,  the  author  of  the  "  War  in  Florida,"  a  lato  staff 
oflioer,  speaks  of  tliis  indiviihial  in  the  following  terms: 

"It  will  be  seen  tliat  th(^  standin<f  of  Asseola,  prior  to  the  war, 
was  muc'n  inft'rior  to  tiial  of  a  nund)er  of  the  other  cldefs,  and 
although  his  infln(>nco  w.as  seemingly  i^reat,  it  was  still  less  tlian 
that  of  iMicanopy,  Jumper,  Ilolala  Mieo,  Coa  Ilajo,  Arpincki,  Ahra 
liam,  and  several  others  ;  but  he  was  with  the  mass  of  tlie  warriors 
who  were  tlio  anti-removal  l)ar1y,  and  themselves  possessimr  as 
much  influence  as  tlieir  eliiefs;  so  that  the  marvellous  reports  ot 
him,  and  the  influence  which,  it  is  supposed,  he  exerts  over  the  In- 
dians, arc  very  exaocrerated,  and  have  their  oritfiu  oidy  in  the  !x)ld, 
desperate,  and  reckless  murders  which  have  been  perpetrated  bv 
the  band  of  Micosukces,  of  which  he  is  sub-chief  Ilolata  Mico  is 
the  chief  leader  of  that  band,  and  decidedly  superior  to  Asseola  in 
every  point  of  view.  The  latter  is  a  Rcchtick,  not  a  Micosukee,  by 
descent,  and  prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities,  was  leader  of 
but  .seven  warriors.  His  talents  are  not  aljovc  mediocrity,  and  he 
was  never  known,  by  t.lio.se  who  were  most  intimate  with  him,  to 
possess  any  of  the  nobler  qualities  which  adorn  the  Indian  ciiaraeter ; 
all  his  dealings  have  been  characterized  by  a  low,  sordid,  and  con- 
tracted spirit,  which  often  produced  dilficulties  with  those  with 
whom  he  had  intercourse.  Perverse  and  obstinate  in  his  disposition, 
lie  would  frequently  oppose  measures  wliicii  it  was  the  interest  of 
his  people  that  lie  should  advocate.  The  principal  chiefs  were 
favorable  to  the  project  of  emigration,  but  the  mass  of  warriors 
were  opposed  to  it;  and  as  Ilolata  Mico  and  his  band,  with  Asseola, 
were  the  first  to  be  removed  by  the  provisions  of  the  treaty,  and 


28 


ASS  KOLA. 


tlii'sc,  wurriors  liaviiijf  been  avcrNc  In  tin;  Ircatv  iVom  tlic  lirst,  llicy 
80\vi'd  discord  among  llic  otlicrs  Ity  tlircatciiiiig  to  miinlcr  all  w  ho 
should  advocate  the  measure;  and  it  was  doulitlcss  through  fear 
that  Asseola  joined  the  hostile  party,  alter  the  ph'dge  he  had  niad(! 
to  IcJive  the  coiuitry.  This  des(3rii)tion  of  Asseohi  may,  periiaps, 
serve  to  disabuse  the  public  mind  as  to  the  '  noliU^  chararter,'  '  lofty 
bearing,'  'high  soul,'  'amazing  powers,'  and  'magnanimity'  of  the 
'  Micosidvee  chief.'  " 

It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  some  discrepancy  in  the  views  of  the 
clmracter  of  A.sseola  g'ven  by  these  writers,  both  of  whom  were 
witnesses  of  his  conduct;  we  apprehenil  that  both  are  correct  in 
the  main,  dillering  cliiedy  in  the  coloring  given  to  their  ])iclures. 
Referring  occasionally  to  these  and  some  other  authorities,  we  shall, 
in  the  remainder  of  this  sketcli,  depend  principally  upon  a  manu- 
script statement  in  our  posses.sio'',  prepared  with  much  can;  by  an 
intelligent  ollicer  of  the  United  Statt;.-,  army,  .serving  in  the  Indian 
Department  throughout  the  whole  of  tlu;  Florida  war. 

The  death  of  his  father  jjrobably  threw  Asseola,  at  a  very  early 
age,  upon  his  own  guidance,  antl  some  of  the  strong  |)oiuts  of  his 
character,  especially  its  vices,  may  be  referred  to  this  cause,  the 
fruitful  source  of  evil  in  the  formation  of  ardent  minds.  While  yet 
a  boy,  of  not  more  than  from  twelve  to  fd'tecn  years  of  age,  he  joined 
the  Redsticks,  or  hostile  Creeks,  and  fought  against  the  Tennessee 
troops,  commanded  by  Generals  Jack.son  and  Floyd.  Wlu.'ii  peace 
was  established,  he  was  one  of  the  many  unruly  s])irits  who  emi- 
grated to  Florida,  where  the  Redsticks  became  known  as  a  party 
hostile  to  the  United  States.  In  1817,  when  the  repeated  depreda- 
tions of  the  Florida  Indians  caused  the  invasion  of  that  country  by 
General  Jackson,  he  was  in  arms,  and  being  driven  across  the  Su- 
■wanee,  retreated  witli  a  small  pa-ty  of  his  companions  down  into  the 
peninsula,  and  settled  upon  Feas'  creek.  Here  he  remained  un- 
known to  fimie,  and  probably  engaged  in  no  other  pursuit  than 
hunting,  and  occasionally  participating  in  those  athletic  games  in 


BIOfJIlAPirY. 


2.T 


wliicli  li('  WHS  so  cxiuM't,  iiMlil  !i  Icw  vcafs  iiLfo.  wlicii  lie  rciiiovrd  to 
llip  lliif  S\v:iiii|),  in  the  nritrliliorlinod  of  Fort  Kiiiir,  and  nnitod 
liiiriscif  witli  tlic  Mi(M)siik(M's,  with  whom  In;  has  since  lived. 

It  was  at  that  lime,  probably  iii)()iit  18!ja,  tliat  Asscola,  who  was 
then  somewhat  more  tliari  twenty-five;  years  of  a!,fe,  Ix-eamo  known 
to  lh(!  Ameriean  ofl'ieers.  lie  iiail  neitiier  rank  nor  |)ro[)erty,  nor 
niiv  followers,  exeept  two  Indians,  wlio  liad  accompanied  him  from 
his  late  residence  ;  Inil  his  doporfmciit  and  appearance  wer(>  such 
as  to  point  liim  out  as  a  ])erson  liUely  to  become  important.  Ho 
was  of  liixlit  frame,  a  littlo  above  tho  cormnon  stature,  and  finely 
formed,  his  complexion  li'jfht.  and  the  expression  of  his  coniitenanco 
cheerful  and  ajrreeable.  His  liabits  were  active  and  enlerprisinir, 
evinciniif  an  entire  freedom  from  that  indolence  of  mind  which  de- 
grades tho  ffreat  mass  of  this  race  into  merely  setisnal  liein<,rs,  who 
are  only  roused  into  action  to  induliro  the  appetites  of  huni^cr  or  ro- 
ven<je,  and  sink  into  apathy  when  those  |)assions  have  Iteen  sati'ited. 
The  mind  of  Asseola  was  active  rather  than  stron;,',  and  his  conduct 
that  of  a  cunning  and  ambitious  man,  who  was  detormined  to  rise 
by  his  own  exertions. 

The  frontier  w!is  at  that  time  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  and 
our  intercourse  with  llic  Seminolcs  becoming  daily  more  com])li- 
cated  and  uncertain.  There  was  no  war  existing  nor  expected,  but 
tiiern  was  neither  peace  nor  safety.  The  Inilians  had  been  advised 
of  the  determination  of  the  government  to  remove  then  from  Florida, 
and  were  holding  a  tempori/ing  course  with  our  agents,  while 
divided  aninnir  them.selves  as  to  tlie  jjolicy  to  be  piu'sued.  The 
most  intelligent  of  their  chiefs,  and  a  minority  of  the  braves,  re- 
s])ectal)Io  in  nund)er  and  character,  were  dtM-idedly  in  favor  of 
emigration,  not  merely  as  an  iuiavoi(hd)le  alternative,  but  as  a  mea- 
sure positively  advantageous  in  itself  Experience  had  demonstrated 
tii'Mmpossibility  of  .living  in  contact  with  the  whit(\s.  Tho  supe- 
riority of  the  civilized  over  the  savage  man,  liowc,  v.!r  reluctantly 
admitted,  was  practically  felt  and  acknowledged.     The  pressure  of 


2i 


ASSEOLA. 


the  wliito  popiiliition  was  recognized  as  a  continual  and  accumulat- 
ing force,  operating  to  the  destruction  of  the  Indian  race,  almost 
imperceptibly,  yet  with  tlie  swiftness  and  certainty  of  the  laws  of 
nature.  Tliey  saw  that  the  decree  had  gone  out  which  compelled 
the  weak  lo  give  place,  and  allowed  the  strong  to  possess.  Those 
who  had  marked  the  signs  of  the  times,  and  had  reflected  calmly 
upon  the  traditions  of  tlieir  ancestors,  discerned  but  too  clearly  the 
gigantic  growth  of  the  white  man's  power,  and  saw  its  shadow  ex- 
tending over  the  land  of  the.  Indian,  with  a  progress  as  irresistible 
as  tiiat  of  the  shades  of  night.  Wherever  that  shadow  fell,  the 
Indian  felt  its  chilling  inllucnce,  which  thickened  around  him  until 
liQ  sunk  under  its  l)lighting  efTect.  They  saw  all  this,  and  deter- 
mined to  seek  safety  in  flight.  Nor  was  tiiis  all :  they  were  offered, 
not  merely  safety  from  present  danger,  but  decided  advantages — a 
better  climate,  a  more  abundant  country,  a  wider  range  of  luinling- 
ground,  and  a  permanent  separation  from  the  white  man — peace, 
and  the  jjrotectiim  of  a  powerful  nation,  instead  of  inevitable  and 
hopeless  war.  In  addition  to  these  advantages,  they  were  to  be 
paid  for  the  imi)rovements  they  abandoned,  to  be  supported  for  one 
j'ear  after  their  arrival  in  the  new  country,  to  receive  an  annuity  of 
tlu'ee  thousand  dollars  for  fifteen  years,  and  their  cattle  and  other 
property  were  to  be  sold  for  their  benefit  by  the  United  States. 

The  mass  of  the  Seminolcs,  however,  were  opposed  to  emigration. 
To  man\',  tlie  prosj)ect  of  war  was,  in  itself,  a  sullicient  inducement 
to  remain.  Tlie  savage  is  hal)itually  im[)i'ovident,  and  seldom  looks 
beyond  the  present.  War  gives  him  employment,  excitement,  and 
above  all,  phmder — that  fatal  lure  is  not  without  its  attraction,  even 
among  the  armies  and  councils  of  the  most  refined  nations,  but  to 
the  savage  mind,  it  is  the  first,  the  lost,  and  the  most  irresistible  of 
arguments.  Tlie  love  of  war,  the  ardent  lust  for  carnage,  were  not 
the  least  of  the  incitements  operating  on  a  people  swift  to  shed 
blood.  The  passion  of  revenge,  too,  had  its  influence  ;  not  only  the 
national  and  general  hatred  against  the  wiiites,  but  the  personal  re- 


BIOGRAPHY. 


25 


sentmetit  rankling  in  the  bosoms  of  individuals,  for  actual  wrongs, 
for  which  they  were  eager  to  seek  redress.  Then  there  was  am- 
bition, the  small  ambition  of  the  sub-chiefs,  the  captains  often,  and 
captains  of  twenty,  who  desired  to  increase  their  own  importance, 
and  to  swell  the  numbers  of  their  followers.  Besides  all  which,  the 
country  they  occupied  suited  them  ;  its  peninsular  conformation,  its 
wild  and  tangled  forests  interspersed  with  swamps  and  hanunocks 
impenetrable  to  the  foot  of  the  white  man,  and  which  to  seemed  bid 
eternal  defiance  to  the  approach  of  civilization,  rendered  this  region 
the  fit  and  favorite  abode  of  savage  men. 

There  was  also  an  objection  to  the  removal,  which  was  felt  by  all 
the  Seminoles,  and  gave  so  much  plausibility  to  tlie  arguments  of 
those  opposed  to  emigration,  that  it  is  surprising  the  government 
should  not  have  promptly  removed  it.  By  the  treaty  of  Payne's 
Landing,  it  was  provided  that  the  Seminoles  should  remove  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  there  become  a  constitucit  portion  of  the  Creek 
nation.  They  were  to  settle  near  the  Creeks,  and  be  ])lacod  under 
the  charge  of  the  same  agent.  To  this  arrangement  they  expressed 
a  decided  repugnance.  A  large  number  of  those  who  had  separated 
from  the  Creeks  had  private  reasons  for  not  desiring  a  reunion ; 
some  were  debtors,  and  some  held  property  of  which  the  ownership 
might  be  brought  in  question.  They  were  refugees,  who  had  out- 
standing accounts  and  quarrels  with  those  from  whom  they  had 
fled.  They  asked,  therefore,  to  have  a  separate  territory,  and 
especially,  an  agent  of  their  own.  Ilolata  Amathla,  in  one  of  the 
councils,  said,  "  If  our  father,  the  President,  will  give  us  our 
own  agent,  our  own  blacksmith,  and  our  ploughs,  we  will  go  to 
this  new  country ;  but  if  he  does  not,  we  shall  be  unwilling  to 
remove:  we  should  be  among  strangers;  they  may  be  friendly,  or 
they  may  be  hostile  to  us,  and  we  want  our  own  agent  whom 
we  know,  who  will  be  our  friend,  take  care  of  us,  do  us  jus- 
tice, and  see  justice  done  us  by  others.  We  have  been  unfortu- 
nate in  the  agents  sent  us  by  our  father.      General  Thompson 


2f> 


ASSEOLA. 


oar  present  ag(Mit,  is  the  friend  of  the  Seniinoles.  We  thought  at 
first  that  he  would  bo  like  tlie  others,  but  now  \vc  know  Ijetter.  He 
has  but  one  tidk,  and  what  lie  tells  us  is  the  truth  ;  we  want  him  to 
go  w  illi  us.  He  told  us  he  coidd  not  go,  but  he  at  last  agreed  to  do 
so,  if  our  great  father  would  permit  him;  we  know  our  father  loves 
his  red  children,  and  will  not  let  them  suflTer  for  want  of  a  good 
agent."  General  Clinch,  the  gallant  and  able  commander  of  the 
troo])s  then  in  Florida,  in  presenting  this  siil)ject  to  the  government, 
said,  "  It  is  a  law  of  nature  for  tlie  weak  to  be  suspicious  of  the 
strong.  Thej  say  the  Creeks  are  much  more  numerous  and  power- 
ful than  they  are;  that  there  is  a  fpiestion  of  property,  involving 
the  right  to  a  great  many  negroes,  1o  lie  settled  between  them  and 
the  Creeks,  and  they  are  afraid  that  justice  will  not  be  done  them, 
unless  they  have  a  separate  agent  to  watcli  over  and  jjrotect  their 
interests.  The  nituily  and  straightforward  course  pursued  towards 
them  by  General  Thompson  appears  to  have  gained  their  con- 
fidence, and  tliey  have  again  petitioned  the  President  to  nudie  him 
their  agent,  and  have  requested  me  to  forward  their  petition,  witii 
such  remarks  as  my  long  acquaintance  with  their  views  and 
interests  would  authorize  me  to  make.  The  exjieriment  they  are 
aljout  to  make  is  one  of  deep  interest  to  th-  i.  They  are  leavino- 
tlie  birthplace  of  their  wives  and  ciiiidren,  and  many  of  them  the 
graves  of  those  tl'.ey  hold  most  dear;  and  is  it  not  n-itural  they 
sliould  feel,  and  feel  deeply,  on  such  a  trying  occasion,  and  vvisli  to 
have  some  one  that  tliey  liave  previously  known,  wliom  they  could 
lean  upon,  and  look  up  to  for  protection  ?"  To  this  rational  appeal 
the  government  re|)lied  by  a  cold  neixative;  the  prefiarations  for  the 
removal  were  mnw^  forward,  the  friendly  chiefs  were  us'wvj:  their 
inlluenc(.' to  urge  oi:  that  desiraijie  measure,  while  tlH>  disaffected 
stood  aloof,  or  gave  manifestations  of  their  dissatisfaction  in  sudden 
and  secret  acts  nf  violence,  in  pillaiiing  by  night,  or  murderiny  the 
solitary  traveller  in  the  wiMcrne.^^s. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  Asseola  began  to  take  an 


BIOGRAPHY. 


27 


active  part  as  a  Tustonmigge,  or  sulj-cliiof,  of  the  Mirosukccs,  of 
whicli  tribe  Ilolato  Micco,  or  llie  IJliio  King,  wiis  cliief.  The  term 
siil>cliief,  wliich  we  use,  is  not  descriptive  of  aii\-  actual  ollice  or 
formal  a])poiiitiiient,  but  merely  designates  those  individuals,  u  ho, 
by  tiieir  talents  or  pop\dar  (pialities,  ol)tain  followers,  and  become 
leaders  or  persons  of  in(ln,'iiee.  Those  who  are  expert  in  war  or 
hunting,  are  followed  by  the  young  braves,  who  desire  to  learn  under 
them,  at  first,  perhaps,  only  by  their  own  relatives  who  depend  on 
them;  but  as  their  reputation  increases,  the  train  swells  in  nund)er; 
and  there  are,  therefore,  leaders  of  every  grade,  from  those  who  head 
a  few  men,  up  to  him  who  controls  his  hundred  warriors,  vies  with 
the  chief  in  influence  and  authority,  and  at  last  su])plants  him,  or 
supersedes  hih^  in  every  particular  except  in  name.  Thus  we  have 
seen  Powell,  a  young  man  with  two  followers,  begimiing  to  mingle 
in  public  affairs.  He  had  carefully  noted  the  path  to  j)opular  favor, 
and  pursued  it  with  sagacity  and  boldness.  His  first  step  was  to 
gain  the  confidence  of  the  American  officers,  and  by  making  himself 
useful,  to  gain  empWmcnt,  which  would  render  him  important  in 
the  eyes  of  his  own  people.  He  visited  the  fort  frequently,  and 
his  services  were  always  at  the  command  of  the  officers,  to  suppress 
the  depredations  of  those  lawless  Indians  who  would  clandestinely 
cross  the  frontier  to  plunder,  and  arrest  the  offenders,  as  well  as  to 
apprehend  deserters  from  the  army.  On  these  occasions,  he  would 
call  on  the  neighboring  chiefs  for  men,  and  having  formed  a  party, 
placed  himself  at  their  head,  and  recommended  himself,  as  well  to 
his  employers  as  to  his  own  people,  by  his  diligence  and  efficiency. 
He  soon  pushed  himself  into  notice,  and  was  continually  engaged 
in  some  active  service  :  he  became  a  favorite  with  the  military  offi- 
cers, and  in  consequence  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
them,  rose  rapidly  in  the  eyes  of  his  adopted  tribe.  He  now  gained 
adherents ;  for  the  Indians  are  a  fickle  people,  and  there  are  always 
many  among  them  who  are  ready  to  surround  the  banner  of  a  lising 
leader;  until  at  length,  without  apparently  holding  any  positive 


28 


ASSEOLA. 


rrink,  he  became  a  loading  man  among  the  Micosukees.  He  con- 
timied  for  some  time  to  cultivate  ^vith  assiduity  the  good  will  of 
the  whites,  was  quiet  and  unassuming  in  his  deportment,  submis- 
sive even  to  humility  towards  tlio  otlicers,  and  ])acific  in  iiis  senti- 
ments, while  he  insinuated  himself  into  tlie  allections  of  his  own 
people,  by  his  courtesy  and  his  martial  qualities. 

But  there  was  another  source  of  popularity  which  he  failed  not 
to  improve  to  tlie  utmost,  as  it  was  that  on  which  he  chiefly  de- 
pended for  ]iromotion.  The  chiefs  and  more  intelligent  of  the 
braves,  were,  as  we  have  said,  in  favor  of  emigration,  while  the 
majority  of  the  people,  comprising  all  the  ignorant  and  lawless  por- 
tions, were  opposed  to  the  removal.  The  conjuncture  was  one 
which  ofl'ered  a  tempting  opjiortunity  to  an  as[)iring  demagogue. 
Asseola  took  the  side  of  the  majority,  and  while,  at  first,  he  did  not 
venture  openly  to  oppose  the  chiefs,  he  artfully  fomented  the  dis- 
contents of  the  people,  and  encouraged  them  in  their  obstinate  re- 
fusal to  leave  the  country.  He  was  always  opposed  to  the  treaty  of 
Payne's  Landing ;  but  at  first,  his  tone  with  regard  to  it  was  quiet 
and  unobtrusive,  and  it  might  have  been  inferred,  that  while  his 
feeUngs  revolted  against  the  proposed  arrangements,  he  was  ready 
to  sacrifice  his  own  wishes  to  preserve  peace  and  secure  the  welftire 
of  his  countrymen.  With  consummate  art.  he  continued  to  pay 
court  to  the  chiefs,  and  the  American  oflTiccrs  and  agents,  and  to 
aflfect  a  sympathy  for  the  people;,  until  he  found  himself  sufljciently 
strong  in  the  affections  of  the  latter,  to  throw  aside  the  mask.  He 
grew  into  favor  with  the  factious  multitude,  who  needed  only  an 
unscrupulous  leader,  who  would  play  out  the  game  of  revolt,  re- 
gardless of  consequences;  and  when  he  felt  that  he  was  the  leader 
and  dictator  of  a  party,  he  began  to  avow  the  principles  he  had  long 
secretly  cherished.  Ilis  conduct  now  became  as  conspicuous  for 
boldness  and  insolence,  as  it  had  been  for  the  opposite  qualities ;  he 
was  loud,  querulous,  and  bitter  in  his  opposition  ;  his  language  was 
coarse  and  inflammatory ;  and  his  whole  course  was  that  of  one  who 


BIOGRAPHY. 


29 


had  resolved  to  bring  on  !i  crisis,  wliicli  slioiild  draw  a  broad  lino 
of  separation  between  the  respective  parties,  oblige  the  neutral  to 
take  sides,  and  force  on  an  issue  of  the  contest.  In  his  interviews 
with  General  Thompson,  the  agent  for  the  removal  of  the  Seminoles, 
h  •  now  openly  avowed  his  opposition,  declared  that  he  never  would 
be  carried  from  the  country  alive,  that  rather  than  submit  to  such 
injustice,  the  Indians  would  fight,  that  he  could  kill  two  or  three 
white  men-  himself  before  he  could  be  slain  ;  and  finally,  lie  de 
nounced,  in  the  most  vehement  manner,  the  friendly  chiefs,  declar 
ing  they  should  not  go  peaceably  to  another  country,  that  tlie  first 
wlio  took  a  step  towards  emigration  should  l)e  put  to  death,  and 
that,  if  required,  he  would  himself  become  the  executioiier. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  the  decision  which  history  will  re- 
cord as  to  the  conduct  of  Asseola.  The  line  of  distinction  is  clear  and 
definite  between  the  patriot  who  calmly  and  firmly  places  himself  in 
the  breach  between  his  country  and  lier  oppressors,  c.\])o.sin^  liim- 
self  to  procure  safety,  or  even  a  temporary  advantage  for  her,  and 
the  demagogue,  who,  seizing  for  his  own  aggrandizement  an  occa- 
sion of  popular  excitement,  fi^ins  into  a  blaze  the  embers  of  discord, 
and  affecting  to  administer  that  public  will  which  he  has  secretly 
created,  becomes  the  agitator  and  the  soul  of  a  Ijad  cause.  The  one 
controls  and  gives  a  proper  direction  to  the  judgment  of  his  people, 
while  the  other  stimulates  their  worst  passions,  and  leads  them 
blindfold  to  their  own  destruction.  The  former  cour.se  gives  em- 
ployment to  talents  and  virtues  of  the  highest  grade,  the  latter  may 
be  successfully  pursued  by  an  instinct  of  no  greater  capacity  than 
that  of  the  fox  or  the  wolf  There  could  scarcely  be  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  true  interest  of  tlie  Seminoles.  Setting  aside  the 
question  of  the  right  of  occupation,  as  between  civilized  and  savage 
man,  as  having  no  direct  bearing  here,  we  must  view  tiie  Seminoles 
as  themselves  intruders  in  a  land  previously  occupied  by  the  Euro- 
peans, from  whom  the  American  government  derived  title  l)v  pur- 
chase.    They  seized  on  this  wilderness,  while  it  was  protected,  as 


30 


ASSEOLA. 


they  supposed,  by  :i  foreiLfii  flMiif,  as^  a  stroii^r-liold,  froin  wliicli  they 
could  with  impunity  annoy  th(^  American  citizen.  'Die  I'liitod 
States  having  the  riirht,  as  well  as  the  power,  to  remove  tiiein, 
resistance  could  only  lead  to  a  war,  wholly  unjiislilialile  l)ecause 
hopeless.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  scarcely  probalile  that 
this  a.spiring  leader  was  impelled  Ny  any  liiL^iier  motive  than  that 
of  taking  tlic  side  opj)osed  to  the  chiefs,  whom  he  desired  to  sup- 
plant, and  favored  by  the  multitude,  through  whom  lie  hoped  to 
rule — a  course  of  which  history  adbrds  but  too  many  ex  unples,  and 
which  tlie  experience  of  every  day  shows  to  he  tiie  natural  path 
of  reckless  ambition. 

Throwing  aside  entirely  the  mask  he  had  worn,  Asseola  became 
more  and  more  insolent,  until  at  last  he  c»!ased  to  observe  tlie 
common  forms  of  courtesy.  He  either  absented  himself  from  tlie 
councils  wliich  were  now  frequently  held,  or  disturbed  the  delii)e- 
rations  by  inflammatory  speeches.  He  boldly  threatened  the  chiefs 
with  (he  vengeance  of  the  people,  and  in  his  interviews  with  Gene- 
ral Thompson,  the  agent,  was  so  rude,  and  .so  undisguised  in  his 
threats  of  personal  violence  to  that  ollicer,  that  the  latter  was  obliged, 
on  one  occasion,  to  order  him  to  leave  his  presence,  and  his  friends 
earnestly  advised  the  arrest  of  the  refractory  partisan,  as  a  measure 
due  to  his  own  safety.  It  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  this  salutary 
step  was  not  sooner  adopted,  and  more  eliectuail}'  carried  into  exe- 
cution. As.seola  was  not  a  chief,  but  a  self-constituteil  leader,  mis- 
directing the  ignorant  to  their  ruin,  disturbing  the  peace,  and  de- 
feating the  benign  intentions  of  the  government.  He  was  accord- 
ingly arrested,  by  the  orders  of  Colonel  Fanning,  at  the  request  of 
the  agent,  and  placed  in  close  confinement.  x\s  he  was  dragged  to 
the  guard-house,  he  was  heard,  by  one  who  understood  the  Creek 
tongue,  to  exclaim,  "  The  sun,"  pointing  to  its  position,  "is  so  high ; 
I  shall  remember  the  liour!  the  agent  has  his  day — I  will  have 
mine !" 

The  conduct  of  Powell  while  in  confinement,  threw  a  new  light 


niOGRAPIIY. 


81 


upon  his  cliaracter,  eviiiciiijr  tlio  coolness  ami  deliberation  of  his 
(lesiiTiis,  and  sliowin;,'  how  completely  he  was  master  of  the  arts  of 
ilissimulation.     At  first  sidlen,  and  apparently  alarmed,  he  seemed 
to  abandon  all  liope.     A  new  li-rht  seemed  gradually  to  gleam  upon 
him  ;  and  then,  as  if  convinced  of  his  error,  he  requested  to  see  the 
friendly  chiefs,  who  were  accordingly  permitted  to  visit  him.     To 
t'lem  he  figured  a  humility  and  contrition  wjiich  completely  de- 
ceived them.     lie  spoke  of  his  past  conduct  in  terms  of  regret  and 
pointed  self-condemnation  ;  depicted  in  glowing  language  tlie  hopes 
he  had  entertained  of  imitiiig  the  several  factions  of  the  nation,  so  that 
hy  organizing  a  firm  opposition,  they  might  be  permitted  to  occupy  a 
little  longer  their  present  homes;  and  admitted  the  fallacy  of  these 
exj)ectations.     He  spoke  of  himself  as  a  martyr,  whose  vain  efTorts 
to  unite  the  people  for  their  common  good,  had  brought  upon  him 
tlie  vengeance  of  their  oppressors,  and  bitterly  deplored  the  weak- 
ness and  ingratitude  of  those  who,  he  .said,  had  deserted  him  in  his 
hour  of  trouble;  but  avowed  a  sincere  determination  to  yield  to 
what  now  appeared  an  unavoidable  destiny,  and  remove  peaceably 
to  a  new  country.     The  cliiefs,  whom  he  had  violently  denounced 
and  o])posed,  were  so  con)pletely  deceived   by  his  ostensiljle  con- 
version, that  a  full  reconciliation  took  place  ;  and  Asseola,  ])rofessing 
a  conviction  that  his  former  cour.se,  though  intended  for  the  best, 
iiad  been  fatally  erroneous,  promised  to  become  as  active  in  promf)t- 
ing  the  cause  of  emigration,  as  he  had  been  zealous  in  retarding  it. 
Satisfi;';!  of  the  sincerity  of  the  change  which  they  supposed  had 
taken  place,  the  chiefs  interceded  for  him,  pledged  themselves  for 
his   faith,  and    i'owell  was  .set  at  liberty.     This  act  of  mistaken 
humanity  was  the  cause  of  much  evil ;  for,  had  Asseola  been  kept  a 
prisoner,  the  removal  might  have  gone  on,  and  the  cruel  war  which 
succeeded,  would  never  have  taken  place. 

Por  a  while  As.seola  seemed  to  act  in  full  accordance  with  his 
piomises.  He  not  only  signed  the  articles  agreeing  to  emigrate 
himselt;  l)ut  brought  over  si.vty  or  seventy  Micosukees  to  do  the 


32 


ASSEOLA 


Niiiiit',  assumed  a  conspicuous  stand  in  the  ranks  of  the  f)arty  friendly 
to  removal,  was  consulted  on  all  measures  leading  to  that  ohject,  and 
was  always  treated  with  the  consideration  due  to  an  influential 
chief  Such  was  his  position  for  some  time ;  but,  as  the  season  for 
emigration  approached,  his  visits  to  the  agent  became  less  frequent, 
and  various  plausible  reasons  were  assigned  for  his  absence,  until 
the  friendly  chiefs  began  to  suspect,  and  then  to  declare  openly, 
that  Powell  "  had  one  talk  for  the  white  man  and  another  for  the 
red,"  that  many  of  the  Indians  were  bent  on  war,  and  that  the 
remov;d  must  be  ellected  by  force. 

In  the  autumn  of  1S35,  the  negotiations  with  the  Seminoles  were 
brought  to  a  crisis.  The  friendly  parly  prepared  to  remove,  and 
the  hostilo  to  resist,  and  the  excitement  on  the  Ijorder  was  increased. 
The  following  incident,  recited  in  the  "  War  in  Florida,  by  a  Staff 
Ollicer,"  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  temjjer  of  the  times. 

"  The  Long  Swamp  and  Big  Swamp  Indians,  principally  the 
IMicosukeo  tribe,  were,  from  the  causes  heretofore  stated,  again  re- 
duced to  the  greatest  distress  for  the  want  of  provisions,  and  their 
depredations  upon  the  neighboring  settlements  became  daily  more 
extensive.  On  one  of  these  occasions  three  of  the  Long  Swamp 
Inilians  were  surprised,  and  two  of  them  secrred  b}'  tlu!  owner  of 
the  land,  who  tied  them  by  the  hands  and  feet  with  a  rope,  and 
carried  them  to  his  barn,  where  they  were  confined  without  suste- 
nance for  three  days,  unable  to  extricate  themselves,  and  obliged  to 
remain  in  one  position.  Not  returning  to  their  homes,  their  friends 
became  alarmed  for  their  safety,  and  the  chief  of  the  town  where 
they  resided,  went  forward  and  demanded  them.  Being  refused, 
he  returned  to  his  town,  and  taking  several  of  his  people  with  him, 
again  demanded  the  release  of  the  prisoners,  and  was  again  refused, 
with  a  threat  by  the  white  fellows,  that  if  the  chief  dared  to  effect 
their  release,  complaint  should  be  entered  against  him.  Upon  this 
the  whole  party  rushed  to  the  barn,  whence  they  heard  the  moaning 
of  their  friends,  and  where  they  beheld  a  most  pitiable  sight.     The 


BIOGRAPHY. 


88 


rope  with  which  these  poor  fellnws  were  tied,  had  worn  through 
info  the  flesh — they  had  temporarily  lost  the  use  of  tiieir  limbs. 
Ijeing  unable  to  stand  or  walk— tlipy  had  bled  profusely,  and  had 
reiieivcd  no  food  during  their  confinement — so  it  may  be  readily 
imagined  that  they  presented  a  horrible  picture  of  suffering.  The 
owner  of  the  barn  in  which  they  were  confined,  then  fired  upon  the 
Indians,  and  slightly  wounded  one  of  the  party,  when  their  exaspe- 
ration attained  to  such  a  height  that,  in  retaliation  for  this  brutal 
outrage,  they  set  fire  to  the  barn,  and  would  not  permit  the  owner 
to  remove  any  thing  therefrom,  nor  did  they  leave  the  spot  until 
the  whole  was  consumed." 

"  These  outrages  continued  to  increase  with  each  succeeding 
week,  and  the  Indians,  discovering  the  hopelessness  of  their  situation, 
at  once  concluded  to  oppose  the  efforts  of  tlie  government,  and  call 
for  a  general  assemblage  of  the  nation.  This  course  was  rendered 
the  more  imperative,  at  this  particular  period,  in  consequence  of  a 
demand  having  been  made  upon  the  Seminoles  for  a  surrender  of 
their  cattle,  ponies,  hogs,  &c.,  which  were  to  be  collected  at  some 
convenient  depot,  appraised  and  sold  by  the  agent,  and  the  Indians 
reimbursed  therefor,  on  their  arrival  in  their  new  country.  Six  of 
the  principal  chiefs,  viz :  Charley  Amathla,  Holata  Amathla,  Foke 
Luste  Hajo,  Otulkee  Amathla,  Conhatkee  Micco,  and  Fushutchee 
Micco,  having  returned  their  cattle,  ponies,  and  hogs,  the  agent 
publicly  announced  that  a  sale  would  take  place  on  the  first  of  the 
ensuing  month,  December,  1835  ;  but,  in  consequence  of  the  inter- 
ference of  the  anti-removal  party,  the  delivery  of  the  others  was 
prevented,  and  the  sale  necessarily  postponed  to  an  indefinite  period. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  great  meeting  of  the  nation  at  the  Big 
Swamp  resolved  on  retaining  possession  of  their  country,  and  con- 
demned all  who  should  oppose  their  views  to  instant  death.  This, 
therefore,  was  the  signal  for  an  immediate  abandonment  of  the 
friendly  towns,  and  no  time  was  lost  by  those  who  hafl  gone  too  far 
to  retract,  in  seeking  the  protection  of  the   forts.     Accordingly, 


84 


ASSEOLA. 


Holata  Amatlilii,  Otulkee  Amatlila,  Foke  Liiste  Ilajo,  Conhatkee 
Micco,  and  Fuslmtchco  Micco,  with  about  four  Imndred  and  fifty 
of  their  people,  fled  to  Fort  Brooke  on  the  9th  of  November,  and 
encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river." 

Tlie  war  was  commenced  by  a  tragedy  of  deep  and  affecting 
interest.  Charley  Amathla,  a  noble,  intelligent,  and  honest  chitif, 
was  preparing  to  retreat  to  Fort  Brooke,  on  the  20th  of  November, 
when  his  house  was  surrounded  by  four  hundred  warriors,  led  by 
liolata  Micco,  Abraham,  and  Asseola,  who  demanded  of  him  a  pro- 
mise that  he  and  his  people  would  oppose  the  removal.  lie  replied, 
that,  having  pledged  his  word  to  their  great  father,  be  would  adhere 
to  it  even  at  the  risk  of  his  life.  He  said  he  had  lived  to  see  his 
people  degraded,  and  on  the  verge  of  ruin,  and  their  oidy  hope  of 
being  saved  from  utter  destruction  depended  on  their  removing  to 
the  West;  he  had  made  arrangements  for  his  people  to  go,  and 
had  now  no  excuse  for  not  complying  with  his  engagements.  He 
was  told  that  he  must  join  the  opposition  or  suffer  death,  and  that 
two  hours  would  be  allowed  him  to  consult  his  people,  and  make 
his  choice.  He  rcj)lied,  that  his  mind  was  unalterable,  and  that  his 
people  could  not  make  him  break  his  word  ;  but  if  he  must  die,  he 
desired"  time  to  make  some  arrangements,  which  M'ere  required  for 
the  welfare  of  his  people.  At  this  moment,  Asseola  raised  his  rifle, 
pointed  it  at  the  bosom  of  the  unresisting  chief,  and  would  have 
fired,  had  not  Abraham  arrested  his  arm,  and  called  off"  the  party  to 
a  council.  They  shortly  after  retired,  having  probably  decided  to 
defer,  if  not  to  retract,  their  murderous  purpose  ;  and  the  chief  pro- 
ceeded to  the  agency  to  complete  his  preparations.  He  appeared 
cheerful,  but  said  to  some  of  his  friends,  that  perhaps  they  might 
never  see  him  again,  as  persons  had  been  appointed  to  kill  him.  He 
left  the  agency,  accompanied  by  his  two  daughters,  and  preceded 
by  a  negro,  on  horseback,  and  had  travelled  homewards  a  few  miles, 
when  Asseola,  with  twelve  other  Indians,  rose  from  an  ambush, 
gave  the  war-whoop,  and  fired  upon  him.     The  noble  chief,  com 


niOfJUAl'HY. 


86 


preliendinir  instantly  his  situation,  rose  in  his  stirrups,  sent  back  a 
wlioop  of  (iofiauce,  charged  into  tlie  midst  of  his  assassins,  and  fell 
like  a  hero,  perforated  by  eleven  bullets.  Thus  died  the  chief  of 
the  Witamky  baud,  a  gallant,  high-minded  leader,  and  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity,  by  the  hands  of  Asseola,  whom  he  had  delivered 
from  prison  but  a  few  months  before,  and  for  whoso  good  conduct 
he  stood  pledged.  The  ingratitude  and  bad  ftiith  of  Asseola  greatly 
aggravate  the  heinousness  of  his  participation  in  this  cold-blooded 
murder,  and  stamp  his  character  with  a  viciousness  wholly  incom 
l);itible  with  a  great  mind. 

This  atrocious  deed  was  succeeded  by  open  hostilities,  and  on 
the  29th  of  December  following,  occurred  the  melancholy  massacre 
of  the  detachment  under  Major  Dade,  which  we  have  described  in 
another  place.     On  the  same  day,  and  while  that  melancholy  scene 
of  butchery  was  going  forward  in  the  hammock.  General  Thompson, 
the  agent,  was  surprised  and  ba.sely  murdered.    He  had  dined  at 
the  Agency  Office,  about  one  hundred  yards  from  Fort  King,  and 
shortly  afterwards  was  walking  unguardedly  near  the  woods,  be- 
yond the  office,  when  a  bund  of  fifty  or  sixty  Micosukees,  led  by 
Asseola,  rushed  upon  him,  and  having  slain  himself.  Lieutenant 
Smith,  and  several  others,  hastily  retired.     The  body  of  General 
Thompson  was  perforated  with  fourteen  bullets  and  a  knife  wound ; 
all  the  killed  were  shockingly  mangled,  and  the  whole  affiiir  evinced 
the  worst  feelings  on  the  part  of  the  perpetrators.    The  functions  of 
the  agent  were  not  military,  but  civil,  and  his  relation  to  the  Indians 
such  as  should  have  rendered  his  person  sacred.    He  had  been  their 
friend  and  advocate ;  and,  by  their  own  evidence,  had  been  kind 
and  just  in  his  dealings  with  them.     Asseola  especially,  who  had 
been  employed  by  him,  and  whose  intercourse  with  him  had  been 
intimate,  was  acquainted  with  the  uprightness  of  his  conduct,  and 
was  bound  above  all  others  to  respect  his  character,  and  hold  his 
person  sacred  from  violence.     But  if  such  sentiments  had  ever  made 
any  impression  on  his  vicious  nature,  that  impression  was  eradicated 


86 


ASS  KOI.  A. 


\iy  a  siiii^It!  olTi'iico  towards  liiiiisclf,  wliicb  rankled   in  his  hos  li 
uiid  iiisti;f:it(ul  ii  l)rutal  rovciigo. 

Till'  writer  la»t  ([noted,  thus  eoiitimies  llie  narrative  of  tliesf 
ev(Mi1s.  "  Maraiidiiiff  parties  now  coninioneed  tlieir  operations 
almost  sinudtantiously,  in  various  sections  of  the  eountry,  pilla^'inj^ 
and  destro3in,t(  every  thinij;  of  value.  'I'liose  wlio  had  intlieted  in- 
juries on  tlie  Indians  were  forthwith  repaid,  and  many  liarely 
escaped  with  tlieir  lives.  Con(la}jfration  succeeded  conflajfration, 
until  the  whole  eountry  from  Fort  Brooke  to  Fort  King  was  laid 
waste;  while  those  who  lived  in  the  interior,  were  compelled  to 
altandon  their  crops,  their  stock,  their  implements  of  husl)andry, 
and  indeed  every  article  of  value,  and  secik  protection  within  the 
forts,  or  concentrate  themselves  in  the  neiyliborinif  towns,  around 
wluoh  pickets  were  erected  for  their  better  security."  The  war 
soon  assumed  the  most  appalling  character;  whole  families  were 
butchered,  and  wherever  the  war-whoop  was  heard,  the  most  shock 
ing  cruelties  were  perpetrated. 

We  cannot  pretend  to  follow  the  narrative  of  this  war  throughout 
its  details ;  the  events  are  too  numerous  for  the  space  to  which  we 
are  confined,  and  are  too  similar  to  each  other  to  be  either  interest- 
ing or  instructive.  We  have  already,  in  this  and  other  articles, 
given  sufficient  specimens  of  the  horrors  of  Indian  warfare.  It  is 
enough  to  say,  that  the  war  in  Florida  was  one  of  unmitigated 
ferocity.  The  Seminoles  were  not  numerous,  but  they  were  scat- 
tered over  a  wilderness  almost  impenetrable,  and  surrounded  by  an 
atmosphere  fatal  to  the  white  man.  In  their  fastnesses  they  w(uv. 
secure  from  pursuit,  while  our  troops  could  scarcely  move  without 
imminent  danger,  from  ambusca(  c>^^  from  climate,  from  the  im- 
practicable nature  of  the  country,  .ui»l  from  the  difficulty  of  trans- 
porting supplies.  The  Seminole?;  kept  up  the  war  with  unceasing 
activity  and  indomitable  courage,  acting  continually  on  the  offensive 
and  with  the  determination  of  men  who  were  resolved  to  succeed  oi 
perish.     Their  system  of  tactics  was  the  only  one  which  the  sav>iyc 


niOORAPIIY. 


;t7 


ran  practise  with  ofTect,  anti  tliiit  which  is  most  liaru.s.siri|j;  to  a  rcfjsular 
army  opposed  to  thciii.  I)i\  idcii  into  small  parties,  widely  .s(;attere(l, 
and  eonstaiitly  scoiirinjr  the  eoiiiitry — strikiii^r  \)y  stealtii,  and  ehielly 
at  nii,dit — siirprisinj^  small  partieH,  and  c\ittini^oH' supplies — harass- 
ing the  MettkMnents — and  f^iving  no  quarter  to  prisoners,  they  ma<io 
the  most  of  their  own  small  force,  and  wearied  the  strength  of  their 
opponcMits.  Our  gallant  army  was  continually  on  service,  pcrform- 
in<r  lahors  and  exploits  which,  on  a  more  conspicuous  theatre, 
would  have  won  for  them  unfadin<r  laurels.  Many  nohle  fellows 
j)erislied  miserably  in  this  wretched  service,  and  all  who  were  en- 
fifaged  in  it  fought  and  suflTered  with  a  heroism  which  should  entitle 
them  to  the  lasting  gratit\ide  of  their  country. 

Asseola  engaged  ardently  in  the  war,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
principal  instigators,  and  was  an  iiiduential  and  <laring  leader. 
How  far  his  mind  directed  and  controlled  the  movements  of  the 
Seminoles,  is  not  fully  known,  hut  that  he  is  entitled  to  a  full  share 
of  whatever  credit  may  be  due  to  tiie  leaders,  there  can  be  little 
doubt.  lie  was  present  at  most  of  the  more  important  engagements, 
acting  a  consj)icuous  part,  and  was  concerned  in  many  of  the  out- 
rages that  were  perpetrated  by  marauding  parties.  All  who  came 
in  contact  with  this  remarkable  man,  concede  to  him  the  possession 
of  intellectual  qualities  superior  to  those  of  the  people  by  whom  he 
was  surrounded  ;  while  the  public  voice,  too  prone  to  exaggeration, 
has  gifted  him  with  moral  attributes  of  the  highest  order.  We  have 
some  difficulty  in  reconciling  the  dignified  and  noble  traits  of  cha- 
racter attributed  to  him,  with  the  duplicity  which  unquestionably 
ran  through  the  whole  of  his  short  but  brilliant  career.  Ilis  martial 
qualities,  his  daring,  his  talent,  and  his  commanding  influence  over 
the  minds  of  his  people,  were  as  conspicuous  as  his  double  dealing 
towards  both  parties  in  producing  hostilities,  and  his  cruelty  during 
their  continuance. 

After  prosecuting  the  war  with  vigor  and  various  fortune,  until 
the  summer  of  1837,  the  Seminoles  intimated  a  willingness  to  sub- 


38 


ASSEOLA. 


mit,  and  some  npfrotiations  took  place,  the  result  of  which  was,  that 
a  number  of  llio  chiefs  declared  their  determination  to  emigrate,  and 
refiuested  a  cessation  of  hostilities  until  they  coidd  collect  and  bring 
in  their  j)eoplo.  This  was  cheerfully  granted  ;  and  Micanopy,  with 
some  others,  were  delivered  up  as  hostages  for  the  faithful  perform- 
ance of  the  stipulations.  The  prospect  of  peace  proved  delusive. 
The  hostages  remained  but  a  few  days,  when  they  were  forcibly 
rescued,  and  the  war  renewed  with  all  its  former  virulence.  In  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year,  a  similar  stratagem  was  attempted. 
General  Hernandez,  a  citizen  of  Florida,  serving  at  the  head  of  a 
gallant  band  of  volunteers,  having  captured  an  active  partisan,  called 
Philip,  the  occasion  was  seized  by  the  Scminoles  to  open  another 
negotiation,  which  resulted  in  the  captivity  of  Micanopy,  Asseol.a, 
and  several  other  leaders. 

General  Jessup,  the  commanding  general  of  the  Florida  army,  in 
a  letter  dated  Picolata,  November  17,  1837,  says: 

"  Powell,  Coacoohee,  the  two  Hickses,  and  several  other  sub- 
chiefs,  organized  the  abduction  of  Micanopy  and  other  hostages  in 
June  last.  Coacochee,  John  Cavallo,  (the  latter  one  (/f  the  hostages,) 
with  several  others,  carried  the  hostages  off,  and  with  then  their 
people.  I  then  resolved  to  take  all  who  were  concerned  in  the 
measure,  whenever  the  opportunity  might  be  found.  The  capture 
of  Philip  by  Gt^neral  Hernandez,  opened  the  way  to  effect  my  ol)- 
ject  sooner  than  I  had  hoped.  Coacochee  carried  off  Micano|)y  bv 
force,  and  if  he  had  been  a  white  ma;.  I  would  have  executed  him 
the  moment  he  came  into  my  hands.  His  father  Philip,  however, 
asked  permission  to  send  him  out  with  messages  to  the  chiefs  and 
warriors.  He  returned  with  one  of  my  hostages,  John  Cavallo,  and 
with  most  of  the  sul)-chiefs  and  warriors  who  were  concerned  in  the 
abduction.  I  determined  at  once  that  they  should  l)e  seized  and 
held  as  hostages  for  the  conduct  of  the  chiefs  and  warriors  out  " 

The  persons  that  thus  arcompuniod  John  Cavallo  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Fort  Peyton,  with  a  purpose  avowedly  friendly,  could 


BIOGRAPHY. 


SD 


not  be  ppevailed  upon  to  enter  the  fort,  but  halting  at  some  distance, 
sent  a  message  to  General  Hernandez,  desiring  him  to  meet  them  at 
their  camp,  without  an  escort,  with  the  assurance  that  he  would  be 
perfectly  safe  with  them  without  troops.     Knowing  the  perfidious 
character  of  these  people,  and  of  John  Cavallo  espe(^ially,  General 
Jessup  was  sau.,i'ied  that  some  treachery  was  intended,  probably  to 
seize  a  siiflicient  number  of  his  officers  to  exchange  for  Philip  and 
the  Enchee  chiefs,  and  directed  General  Hernandez  to  go  to  the 
meeting  with  a  strong  escort.    He  was  also  fnrnisiied  with  tiie  heads 
of  a  conversation  to  be  held  with  them,  the  result  of  which  was  to 
he  communicated  to  the  commanding  general  before  the  termination 
of  tht'.  interview.     The  suspicions  entertained  wore  justified  by  the 
event.    The  answers  of  the  Indians  to  all  the  questions  put  to  them 
were  evasive  and  unsalisfootory  ;  they  stood  warily  on  the  defensive, 
evincing  no  frankness  nor  confidence,  and  obviously  on  tlie  watch  to 
gain  advantages;  and  it  became  sufficiently  apoarent  that  they  had 
sought  this  interview  for  some  sinister   purpo.**e.     It   became  the 
duty  of  General  Jessup  to  protect  his  own  force,  and  disarm  that  of 
a  perfidious  enemy.     He  accordingly  gave  orders  to  have  the  place 
of  meeting  surrounded  by  a  squadron  of  dragoons,  unrler  Major 
Ashby,  who  executed  the  measure  with  such  skill  and  celerity,  that 
although  the  Indians  stood  on  the  alert,  with  rifles  loaded  and  i^rinu'd, 
ready  for  a'.'tioii,  tliey  were  all  tak.'U  I'cfore  a  gun  could  be  fired. 

Tlie  political  excitement  existing  in  the  country,  during  the 
whole  of  tlie  Florida  war,  has  caused  many  of  its  events  to  be 
misrepresented,  and  in  some  instances  has  i)roduced  great  injn.stice 
towards  the  gallant  officers  engaged  in  that  arduous  service.  With 
regard  to  the  trans;\clioi;  just  related,  we  should  suppose  there  could 
be  but  one  opinion  ;  yet  the  capture  of  Asscola  atid  Ills  associates 
has  been  denounced  as  a  flagrant  bre;icli  of  confidence,  and  a  oro.ss 
violation  of  tlie  law.s  of  war.  A  very  sligiit  examination  of  the  facts 
will  show  the  fallacy  of  such  denunciations. 
The  Indians  were  in  arms  to  resist  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 


40 


ASSEOLA. 


government  to  remove  them  from  a  country  in  which  it  was  alleged 
they  were  intruders;  and  if  it  was  lawful  to  remove  them,  lliere 
could  be  no  moral  v.rong  in  taking  them  wherever  they  could  be 
found.  The  military  officer  could  not  judge  of  the  justice  of  the  re- 
movsl.  He  was  to  effect  the  object  by  lawful  means ;  and  the  pur- 
pose was  as  well  effected  by  taking  them  when  they  came  to  parley, 
as  it  would  be  by  seizing  them  when  in  arms,  or  shooting  them 
down  in  1)att!e.  To  insist  on  the  observance  of  all  the  etiquette  of 
military  law,  in  conducting  such  an  operation,  would  be  as  absurd 
as  to  hold  a  police  officer  to  a  nice  observance  of  the  rules  of  polit'^- 
ness  in  his  dealings  with  a  fugitive  from  justice. 

It  is  also  to  be  recollected,  that  the  Indians  do  not  acknowledge 
any  international  law,  or  military  usage,  as  existing  during  a  staie 
of  war.  They  do  not  recognize  t!ie  sanctity  of  a  flag  of  truce — they 
steal  upon  the  defenceless  in  the  hour  of  sleep — wpylay  the  unarmed 
— murder  without  respect  to  age  or  sex — and  consider  every  strata- 
gem fair  by  which  an  advantage  is  gained.  With  what  propriety, 
then,  can  t  lie  protection  of  the  laws  of  war  be  claimed  for  them  ?  Those 
laws  can  only  operate  between  parties  who  reciprocally  acknowledge 
tluur  obligation ;  and  to  claim  the  advantage  of  them  for  those  who 
hal)itually  set  them  at  defiance,  would  be  unreasonable. 

But  allowing  that  the  Seminoles  were  entitled  to  the  full  benefit 
of  the  laws  of  war,  as  observed  by  civilized  nations,  there  was  no 
infraction  of  them  on  this  occasion.  The  persons  in  question  had 
violated  ihose  laws  by  rescuing  hostages,  and  suffering  themselves 
to  be  rescued  when  held  as  hostages.  The  parties  to  the  laws  of 
war  have  no  common  tribunal  to  which  to  appeal;  if  an  infraction 
is  alleged,  there  is  l)ut  one  mode  of  retribution  ;  the  offending  party 
is  placed  out  of  the  pale  of  the  protection  of  these  laws  by  '  '•  other 
party,  who,  from  tlie  necessity  of  the  ca.se,  becomes  judge  and  exe- 
cutioner. Ami  after  all,  there  was  no  trust  violated  by  General 
Jessup.  These  Indians  were  not  under  the  protection  of  a  llag  of 
truce  ;  they  were  not  in  the  fort,  nor  under  its  guns.     They  haltec. 


RICXJR.M'HY 


41 


!it  a  distance  from  the  fort,  and,  standing  warily  upon  the  defensive, 
reiinested  tliat  an  officer  be  sent  to  them,  and  tliat  he  be  sent  without 
an  escort.  The  only  trust  placed  in  the  American  commander,  was 
in  apprising  him  of  the  spot  at  which  they  awaited  his  decision. 
He  took  them,  partly  by  stratagem,  and  partly  by  force  ;  and  the 
use  of  the  one  was  as  justifiaijle  as  tiiat  of  the  other.  The  purpose 
was  humane.  By  securing  the  most  active  of  the  agitators,  the 
duration  of  the  war  was  abridged,  and  its  horrors  decreased.  The 
act  was  not  only  justifiable,  but  meritorious  ;  the  national  honor 
was  not  stained,  nor  did  General  Jessup  tarnish  the  laurels  he  had 
gallantly  won  on  nobler  fielils. 

The  prisoners  v. ere  immediately  transferred  to  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  where  they  were  confined  upon  Sullivan's  Island,  until 
arrangfments  were  ma('^'  for  their  removal  to  their  new  liomcs. 
While  a  prisoner  th'.re,  Asseola  was  an  ol)ject  of  much  curiosilv. 
His  fame  was  widely  extended;  he  was  not  only  considered  as  the 
hero  of  the  war,  but  had  been  extravagantly  praised  in  the  news- 
papers for  brilliant  and  noble  qualities,  which  prol)al)ly  existed  oidy 
in  the  imaginations  of  the  writers.  He  was  visited  by  many  per- 
sons, and  among  others  by  several  artists,  who  took  likenes.scs  of 
him,  one  of  the  finest  of  which  is  that  taken  for  the  War  Department. 

Asseola  had  two  wives,  both  of  whom  were  young  and  pretty,  and 
one  of  tl\em  was  particidarly  attractive  in  her  personal  ap[)earance. 
They  lived  together  in  perfect  harmonv,  having  one  tal)le  in  com- 
luon,  to  use  ovu'  oun  phraseology,  or,  to  speak  moio  ii,  accordance 
with  the  fact,  sitting  around  the  same  kettk;,  but  occupying  se[)arate 
,  lodges.  They  accompanied  him  in  his  confinement,  and  during  his 
illness  watched  and  nursed  him  with  gres'.t  solicitude  and  tender- 
ness. He  was  attacked,  in  tlie  spring  of  183S,  with  an  imllamma- 
tion  of  the  throat,  which  hurried  him  rapidly  to  thetrnive.  He  died 
with  the  dignity  of  a  lirave  warrior,  and  his  remains  were  respect- 
fully interred  by  those  against  wliom  he  Imd  fought  witli  a  courage 
and  skill  worth v  of  a  noljjer  field  and  a  l)etter  fate. 


'■'9 
'■A 


APPANOOSE. 


This  individual  is  one  of  the  peace  chiefs,  and  presides  over  a 
village  of  ■  i  Sauks.  His  name  signifies  "yl  chief  when  a  child," 
and  indicaU  ,  lis  station  was  inherited.     He  was  one  of  the 

delegation  sent  ashington,  in  1837,  and,  when  at  Boston,  was 

said  to  have  made  the  most  animated  speech,  both  in  manner  and 
matter,  that  was  delivered  by  the  chiefs.     He  said, 

"  You  have  heard  just  now  what  my  chief  has  to  say.  All  our 
chiefs  and  warriors  are  very  much  gratified  by  our  visit  to  this 
town.  Last  Saturday  they^  were  invited  to  a  great  house,  (Fanueil 
Hall,)  and  now  they  are  in  the  great  council-house.  They  are  very 
much  pleased  with  so  much  attention.  This  we  cannot  reward  you 
for  now,  but  shall  not  forget  it,  and  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will 
reward  you  for  it.  This  is  the  place  which  our  forefatliers  once  in- 
habited. T  have  often  heard  iny  father  and  grandfather  say  they 
lived  near  the  sea  coast  where  the  white  man  first  came.  I  am  glad 
to  liear  all  this  from  you.  I  suppose  it  is  put  in  a  book,  where  you 
learn  all  these  things.  As  far  as  I  can  understand  the  lanaruanfe  of 
the  white  people,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  Americans  have  attained 
a  very  high  rank  among  the  white  people.  It  is  the  same  with  us, 
though  I  say  it  myself  Where  we  live,  beyond  tlie  Mississippi,  I 
am  respected  by  all  people,  and  they  consider  me  the  tallest  among 
them.  I  am  haj)py  that  two  great  men  meet  and  shake  hands  with 
eacli  otlier."  As  he  concluded,  Apj)anoose  suited  the  action  to  the 
word,  by  extending  his  hand  to  Governor  Everet,  amid  the  shouts 

■   (12) 


BIOGRAPHY.  ^ 

of  applause  from  the  audience,  who  were  not  a  little  amused  at  the 
self-complacency  of  the  orator. 

The  newspaper  account,  from  which  we  gather  some  of  these 
facts,  concludes  with  the  following  remark.    "  We  have  taken  pains 
to  give  the  speeches  of  the  Indian  chiefs  with  verbal  accuracy,  as  a 
matter  of  high  intellectual  curiosity.    History,  romance,  and  poetry, 
have  embodied  the  Indian  character  to  our  perceptions  from  child- 
hood.    It  is  pleasant,  therefore,  to  see  the  original,  and  find  how 
accurate  the  picture  has  been.     The  language,  ideas,  and  style  of 
these  Indians  are  precisely  such  as  have  been  ascribed  to  their  race. 
There  is  much  to  admire  in  the  simple  and  manly  manner  in  vhich 
they  convey  their  ideas.     He  must  be  but  a  churl  who  does  not 
associate  with  their  visit  here,  objects  of  philanthropy  and  protection 
to  their  race." 


IE  SOLDAT  DU  CIIENE. 


The  name  of  this  chief,  as  pronounced  in  the  tongue  of  his  own 
people,  has  not  reached  us ;  we  know  it  only  in  the  French  transla- 
tion, which  introduces  liiin  to  us  as  "  The  Soldier-  of  the  Oak." 
The  nil  me  refers,  we  luiderstand,  to  a  desperate  fight,  in  which, 
having  sheltered  himself  hehind  a  large  oak,  he  successfully  de- 
fended himself  against  several  enemies.  His  portrait  was  taken  in 
Philadelphia,  in  1805  or  1806,  while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  under  charge  of  Colonel  Choteau,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  was  ])resented  to  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  in 
whose  valuable  collection  we  found  it. 

He  wa.s  an  Osage  chief  of  high  reputation,  and  is  mentioned  by 
Pike  in  his  travels.  The  Osages  inhabit  the  prairies  lying  south 
of  the  Missouri  river,  and  west  of  the  states  of  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas. The  buffalo  is  ibuiid  in  their  country,  and  the  wild  horse 
roams  over  the  plains  immediately  beyond  theni.  They  are  horse- 
men, therefore,  and  not  only  manage  the  steed  with  dexterity,  but 
bestow  great  pains  upon  the  appearance  ara  equipment  of  their 
horses.  Living  in  a  sunny  climate,  and  roving  over  plains  covered 
with  rich  verdure,  and  well  stocked  \\ith  game,  they  present  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  unhappy  Chippewa,  to  whom  they  are 
superior  in  stature,  in  cheerfulness,  and  in  social  qualities.  The 
privations  of  the  northern  Indian  subdue  his  spirit,  while  the  Osage 
exhibits  all  the  pride,  and  all  the  social  elevation  of  which  the 
savage  is  capable.  The  difference  between  them  results  solely  out 
( 11 ) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


46 


of  the  disparity  in  their  respective  physical  comforts;  but  it  is  so 
l^freat  as  to  be  obvious  to  the  most  casual  observer,  and  goes  far 
towards  demonstrating  how  much  of  the  savage  character  is  the 
consequence  of  poverty,  and  the  vv'ant  of  the  common  comforts  of 
Ufa 


TOKACOiy 


The  character  of  this  brave  is  indicated  by  his  name,  which 
means,  lie  that  inflicts  the  first  wound,  and  expresses  the  idea  that 
he  is  foremost  in  battle.  He  is  of  the  Yankton  tribe,  of  the  Sioux 
iiiition,  and  is  one  of  two  persons  who  officiate  as  a  kind  of  conserva- 
tors of  order  within  the  village  or  encampment  of  the  band.  This 
office  is  never  executed  except  by  warriors  of  high  repute,  who  can 
command  respect  and  obedience  in  consequence  of  tlieir  personal 
influence.  Among  savages,  mere  rank  gives  little  authority  unless 
it  be  sustained  by  weight  of  character.  In  each  band  of  the  Sioux 
several  distinguished  warriors  are  appointed,  whose  duty  is  to  main- 
tain order,  and  to  notice  every  departure  from  the  established  dis- 
cipline. These  dvities  are  not  sufficiently  well  defined  to  enable  us 
to  describe  them  with  any  particularity ;  they  are  of  a  discretionary 
nature,  and  depend  much  upon  the  temper  and  character  of  the  in- 
dividuals who  discharge  them,  and  who,  to  some  extent,  make  the 
rules  which  they  enforce.  As  those  over  whom  it  is  necessary  to 
exert  their  authority  are  chiefly  the  unruly  and  the  young,  the  ill 
trained,  rapacious,  and  idle,  who  hang  loosely  upon  the  community, 
the  women,  the  children,  and  the  stranger,  they  usually  execute 
summary  justice  upon  the  spot,  according  to  their  own  notions  of 
propriety,  and  inflict  blows  without  scruple  when  they  deem  it 
necessary.  In  case  of  resistance,  or  refusal  to  obey,  they  do  not 
hesitate  to  put  the  offender  to  death. 

Tokacon  and  his  colleague  have  long  maintained  the  reputation  of 

( 40  ) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


47 


strict  disciplinarians,  and  their  autlionty  is  greatly  respected  by 
their  people.  This  is  especially  observable  on  the  arrival  of  a 
white  man,  or  a  party  of  whites,  at  their  village.  If  these  persons 
take  the  strangers  under  their  protection,  no  one  presumes  to  molest 
them  :  if  the  sword  or  the  war  club  of  one  of  them  is  seen  at  the 
door  of  the  white  man's  lodge,  the  sign  is  well  understood,  and  no 
Indian  ventures  to  intruda 


TAHROHO^ 


This  is  an  loway  warrior,  who  lives  at  the  village  on  the  Missouri , 
above  Fort  Leavenworth.  One  of  his  earliest  adventures  was  in  an 
expedition  against  the  Osages.  They  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of 
an  Osage  village,  situated  on  the  bank  of  a  river;  but  the  latter 
ran  between  them  and  their  enemies,  and  was  filled  with  ice.  They 
were  hungry,  and  chilled  with  cold.  They  heard  the  Osage  drum 
beat,  and  supposing  a  dance  or  a  feast  was  going  on,  were  the  more 
anxious  to  partake  of  their  good  cheer.  But  the  captain  could  not 
prevail  on  any  of  his  men  to  go  into  the  water,  until  he  came  lo 
Tahrohon,  the  youngest  of  the  party,  who  consented,  without  hesi- 
tation, and  immediately  stepped  into  the  stream.  A  few  others  fol- 
lowed him,  and,  on  reaching  the  opposite  shore,  he  said,  "  Come, 
let  us  go  to  the  man  who  sings  so  well,  and  is  beating  the  drum," 
when  a  dog  barked,  and  they  feared  they  were  discovered,  but,  aftei 
a  short  consultation,  determined  to  get  into  the  village  and  kill  an 
enemy.  The  brother  of  Tahrohon  checked  his  impetuo.sity,  think- 
ing it  imprudent  to  risk  an  attack  at  that  time ;  but  breaking  away 
from  his  companions,  he  rushed  to  the  nearest  lodge,  and  there  found 
an  Osage  woman  marked  all  over,  indicating  her  birth,  and  dis- 
tinguishing her  as  one  of  a  family  of  note,  whom  he  shot,  and,  sud- 
denly retreating,  recrossed  the  river.  Satisfied  with  this  achieve- 
ment, the  party  returned  home,  where  the  announcement  of  their 
exploit  filled  the  village  with  joy ;  for  the  Osages,  having  killed  an 
uncle  and  two  sisters  of  Tahrolion,  it  was  considered  that  he  had 

(48, 


H 1 0  Ci  K  A  P 11 Y. 


41) 


tiiken  revciigo  in  a  very  li;4)i)y  and  approjjriato  manner,  tliu  more 
ospucially  a.s  the  I'l'at  was  oonsiimiuuU'd  in  tlio  inidisl  ol'llic  onuniy's 
camp. 

Tlu!  leader  of  the  hand  tlien  proclaimed  thai,  liavini;;  lieen  so 
Inelcy  in  one  exj)cdition,  tliey  ou|,dil  to  proceed  immediately  upon 
another,  while  their  j^ood  fortune  continued  to  attend  them,  and 
proposed  to  lead  a  party  lo  st(;al  liorses  from  the  Usages.  Fourteen 
warriors,  of  whom  Talirohon  was  one,  agreed  to  follow  him.  .Vrri\  - 
ing  near  the  Osage  village,  they  remained  conceiiled  until  niglit, 
then  liid  their  guns,  and  cautiously  proceeded  towards  the  scene  of 
action,  sending  Talirohon  forward  as  a  scout,  to  seek  their  prey. 
Not  succeeding  in  finding  horses,  they  begrn  to  cast  round  them  in 
.search  of  food,  for  they  had  eaten  notliie.g  for  two  days,  and  were 
almost  famished  with  hunger.  Hut  they  could  find  no  corn,  and 
returned  dispirited  to  the  spot  where  they  had  deposited  their  guns. 
Talirohon  then  proposed  to  go  again  in  quest  of  horses,  believing  he 
should  find  some  near  a  creek  not  far  distant.  Groping  his  way  in 
the  dark,  with  that  sagacity  that  renders  daylight  almost  snpcrduous 
to  the  Indian,  he  discovered  an  Osage  lodge,  and  regretted  that  he 
had  left  his  gun.  While  hesitating  what  course  to  pursue,  the  tall 
grass  rustled  near  him,  and  he  sat  down.  Presently  all  was  still. 
lie  cautiously  approached  the  camp,  and  discovered  a  piece  of  bufTalo 
meat  hanging  at  the  opening  of  a  lodge,  barely  visible  in  the  dim 
light  thrown  upon  it  by  an  expiring  camp  fire,  lie  deterniined  to 
steal  it,  hut  remained  for  .some  time  wistfully  gazing  at  the  spoil, 
and  endeavoring  to  measure  the  danger  to  be  encountered  against 
the  chances  of  success.  Approaching  nearer  i)y  degrees,  lie  was 
at  length  in  the  act  of  reaching  up  to  .seize  the  spoil,  when  he 
discovered  something  on  the  ground,  which  he  supposed  to  be 
two  sacks  of  corn,  a  prize  too  tempting  to  be  resisted,  and  stoo])ing 
down  he  grasped — not  a  iiag  of  food — iiut  the  nether  limbs  o'  •  u 
old  woman,  which,  berng  wrapped  in  large  leggins,  presented,  in 
the  deceptive  light  of  the  decaying  embers,  the  appearance  which 


lUOCIlAlMIY. 


fil 


Olio  from  s1riiyiii<i  od'aiid  hciiiir  t'lkcii  for  an  cnoiiiy,  tlicy  iiiovrd  in 
11  closo  holly,  ciicli  man  loiicliinj,^  his  ll'llow.     'I'lit;  cou.straint  im- 
posed  by  tliis  uuusiial  moveniont  displfascd   'I'alirnlioii,  who  do- 
terminod,  by  a  trick,  to  anticipato  bis  companions,  and  strike  tho 
first  blow.     Accordin,!,dy  lio  slopped  aside  from  tlie  main  i)ody,  and 
threw  himself  on  the  jrronnd,  pnllinLf  down  witii  him  an   Indian, 
who  was  his  reiiitivo,  and  who,  lik(^  biiiiseH',  had  l)een  displeased  by 
some  noirlect.      Tlujso  two,  dotermininy  to  seek  honor  in  llieirown 
way,  romainod  still  until  the  war  party  passed,  and  tiien  rnshed  into 
tho  villajro  of  the  onemy,  by  th(^  point  at  whi(di  it  was  supposed  tho 
iiiliabitants,  when  alarmed,  would  attemj)!  to  retreat.     JJul  liio  spii's, 
with  tlio  true  Indian  craft,  after  conimnnicalinn-  llio  truth  to  tin; 
loader  of  the  band,  hiid  s|)rea<l  a  false  report  amony  iiis  followers, 
and  our  advent!irers  entered  a  deserted  i)laco,  whilo  tiio  ouemy  was 
flyin^f  in  an  opposite  direction.     Thus  disappointciil,  and  placed  in 
an  erpiivocal  position,  they  detenninod  to  return  !.umo,  and  to  frame 
some  plansil)le  excuse  for  their  desertion.     They  had  iiol  travelled 
far  when  tlioy  came  suddenly  on  a  Sioux  camp,  composed  of  ,s(-viral 
skin  lod^res  that  were  now  and  white,  and  upon  wliich  the  moon 
was  shining  clearly.     Here  was  a  chance  to  do  souiolhing.     "  Let 
us  take  a  smoke,"  said  one  to  the  other;  and  sitting  down  among 
the  tall  grass,  they  lighted  a  pip(>,  and    began  to  consider  what 
act  of  mischief  might  i)e  perpetrated  upon  the  sleeping  inmates 
by  two  desperate   marauders,   bent  on  distingui.sliing  themselves 
at  any  hazard.     After  smoking  and  peepiujr  awhile,  they  found  a 
horse;  and  their  spirits  being  raised  i)y  this  success,  they  groped 
about  actively  and  soon  discovered  four  more,  which  ihey  led  to  a 
grove  ill  a  bend  of  the  river,  where  they  hid  them,  for  they  were 
not  satisfied  with  what  they  had  done.     But  bofon;  they  could  re- 
turn to  the  lodges,  day  dawned,  and  a  projihet  was  heard  singing, 
.shaking  his  gourd,  and  praying  for  the  relief  of  a  sick  ])orson.     A 
Siou.>c  Indimi  came  to  the  river  for  water,  and  our  hero  stepped  for- 
ward to  kill  him,  but  just  as  lie  was  about  to  fire,  his  companion  ex- 


52 


TAHROIION. 


claimed,  '•  Look,  there  is  our  iirmy  !"  Tlie  young  men  stood  for  a 
moment,  .stupified  with  surprise  and  terror;  lor  the  danger  now  was 
that  the  loway  band,  rushing  forward  upon  the  Sioux  lodges  with 
loud  yells,  would  not  recognize  tlieso  youths  found  thus  in  the 
enemy'fv  camp ;  nor  was  it  likely  they  could  make  themselves  known 
in  the  noise  and  smoke  of  the  onset.  They  sprang,  therefore,  down 
the  bank  of  tlie  river,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  the  prophet,  who 
called  on  his  people,  wlio  had  not  yet  discovered  the  advancing 
loways,  tc  fire  on  them,  liut  at  that  instant  the  loways  raised  the 
war-wl)oop,  and  rushed  forward.  The  two  young  men,  in  danger 
from  both  sides,  attempted  to  mingle  in  the  fight,  but  found  the 
missiles  of  both  parties  luirled  at  them.  At  length  onr  hero,  seeing 
the  two  Sioux  surrounded  by  several  lo^vays,  who  were  pushing 
eacli  other  aside  in  their  eagerness  to  strike  a  foe,  rushed  through 
the  circle  and  shot  one  of  the  Siou.x.  He  then  mingled  in  the  fight, 
find  felt  like  one  relieved  from  tlie  horrors  of  a  disagreeable  dream, 
when  lie  found  himself  fairly  reinstated  among  his  friends.  Tn  this 
fight  twelve  Siou.v  were  killed,  and  four  were  taken  prisoviers 


LATPAWINSOE. 


The  preceding  engmving,  and  the  one  wliicli  follows  it,  are  taken 
from  tlie  original  portraits,  in  t'.ie  possession  of  the  Historical  Society 
of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  presented  to  that  body  by  Granville 
Penii,  Esc].,  of  iStoke  Park,  England,  a  worthy  descendant  of  the 
illustrious  founder  of  the  state  whicli  bears  his  uainc.  These  por 
traits  are  highly  interesting  to  the  antiquarian,  because  they  jjreserve 
to  him  the  only  likenesses  wiiich  exist  of  tlie  famed  Lenni  Lennapi 
tril)e  of  Indians. 

All  that  is  known  respecting  their  originals,  is  contained  iu  the 
Ke[)ort  made  by  Mr.  J.  Francis  Fisher  and  Mr.  Job  11.  Tyson  to 
the  Historical  Society,  and  published  in  a  volume  of  the  Society's 
Transactions. 

The  jjortraits  were  painted  more  than  a  century  ago,  (1737,)  and 
even  tlie  name  of  the  limner  would  now  be  a  subject  of  ciu-inus  but 
uncertain  speculation.  If  a  native,  his  work  would  show  tiu;  skill 
employed  and  attention  l)esto\ved  at  tliat  time,  in  British  America, 
upon  this  department  of  the  arts.  Mr.  'i'y.sou  and  Mr.  Fisher  sug- 
gest that  the  portraits  were  probal)ly  jiainted  either  by  one  Swede, 
named  Cccilius,  who  executed  a  likeness  of  James  Logan,  or  a  later 
artist,  named  R.  Fekc,  whose  name  appears  ou  a  picture  of  the  year 
171(1. 

The  fame  of  Lappa win.-;oe,  whatever  it  wa-,  has  not  been  trans- 
mitted to  us.  James  Logan  speaks  of  him  as  an  honest  old  Indian  ; 
and  his  name,  "  he  is  gone  away  gathering  corn,  nuts,  or  any  thing 

( S'' ) 


6-i 


BIOGRAPHY. 


eatiiblo,"  acconliiijf  to  llcckewelder's  translation,  implies  tlic  cha 
racter  of  an  honest  old  hunter.  lie  was  a  chief,  and  is  ranked,  b^ 
the  last  named  writer,  among  those  of  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware. 
The  act  l»y  which  Lappawinsoe  is  cliielly  known,  is  signing,  at 
I'hiladclplua,  the  celebrated  Treaty  of  1737,  commonly  called  The 
WalldiKj  Purchase.  The  character  and  effect  of  this  negotiation  are 
adverted  to  in  another  article 


TOOAN  TUH,  OR  SniliXG  FllOG. 


This  individual  is  a  Clierokro  of  liiirlily  rospectaMc  character. 
FIc  was  born  noar  tlic  nioiitli  of  Cliiirkanio^rira  Civok,  in  the  vicinity 
(if  Lookont  Mountain,  ahnul  tlio  year  17")l,  williin  tlu-  limits  of  tlio 
State  of  Tennessee.  Tlie  place  of  liis  hirtii  is  no  lonncr  known  as 
a  wilderness  tenanted  hv  savagi;  men,  liut  is  now  a  civilized 
country,  inhabited  by  another  race.  The  villa;,M's  of  his  people,  and 
the  sei)nlchres  of  liis  fathers,  have  disappeared,  the  forests  have 
been  levelled,  and  the  ])low^fh  has  elVaced  tie  .scttttered  vesli^icsof 
their  dwelling's  and  places  of  assembhiire. 

In  early  youth,  and  throu'jhout  liis  life,  until  old  aiic  had  impaired 
the  elasticity  ano  vigor  of  Ids  rii\is(,'Ies,  Sprin'^  Fro;r  '>\  '"s  remirkablo 
for  his  activity  in  the  chase.  Ins  skill  in  Irappinii'  ;uid  killinjr  game, 
and  his  success  in  the  athletic  sports  of  hi-  With  little  of 

th(^  ferocity  of  the  Iiuliaii,  y(!t  excelliii;.r  in  an  1 1-  .if  ,syl\  iii  lite, 

brave,  but  not  ad<licti'd  to  war,  he  was  a  line  s|n  cimi  n  of 'In  savaofo 
man.  He  loved  to  roam  the  forest  in  pursuit  of  gam.  ,  c<iidd  sit 
patiently  for  hours  by  the  sequestered  streain,  devising  straJageuis 
to  entrap  its  tenants,  or  wander  for  whole  days  among  the  hamitsof 
the  deer,  with  no  companimis  but  his  gun  and  dog.  His  mind, 
trained  to  th(!se  pursuits,  was  acute,  an<l  richly  stored  with  observa- 
tion on  all  subjects  connected  with  his  occupation.  He  watched  the 
seasons,  noted  the  changes  of  the  weather,  marked  the  hues  of  the 
water,  and  the  appearances  of  the  veget  itinn.  \\  herever  he  went, 
his  keen  eye  re.sted,  with  a  ([uiet  but  oliservant  glance,  on  all  tlio 

V  .V. ) 


TOOAN   'lUlT. 


57 


schoolboys,  is  played  with  two  sticks,  one  in  each  hund.  These 
sticks  are  hcut  at  tlic  end,  witli  strings  (h'awn  across  tiu;  bow,  so  as 
to  form  an  impjemcnt  resoinhling  a  Ijallledoor.  The  gronnd  on 
which  the  game  is  to  be  played  is  a  plain,  marked  off  by  measuring 
a  space  of  about  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  and  placing  two  poles 
erect  at  each  extremity,  and  one  in  the  centre.  Tlic  l)all-players  are 
divided,  as  nearly  as  possible,  into  two  partic?  of"  equal  skill,  each 
of  which  has  its  leader,  and  its  side  of  the  play  ground.  Tlie  ball 
is  thrown  into  the  air,  at  the  centre  pole,  and  each  party  exerts  it- 
self to  drive  it  through  the  [)oles  on  its  own  side.  The  party 
first  carrying  the  ball  twelve  times  througii  its  poles,  wins  the 
game.  To  effect  this,  it  is  considered  i'air  to  employ  strength,  ac- 
tivity, and  stratagem  in  every  form,  provided  that  the  ball  is  always 
propelled  by  tlie  use  of  the  stick.  The  parties  may  strike,  trip,  or 
grapple  each  other,  knock  away  each  otlier's  sticks,  or  take  any 
advantage  which  strength  or  cunning  may  give  them. 

These  games  are  intensely  exciting.  Tlie  number  engaged  is 
often  great,  comprising  the  principal  men,  the  most  distinguished 
warriors,  and  the  most  promising  young  men  of  the  band  ;  for  this 
is  the  great  theatre  on  which  the  ainl)ilious  and  aspiring  e.vhibit 
those  personal  qualities  that  are  held  in  the  highest  repute  by  the 
savage  warrior.  The  whole  population  of  the  vilhigo  pours  out  to 
witness  the  inspiring  spect.acle,  and  like  the  spectators  of  a  horse- 
race in  Virginia,  all  take  sides  and  feel  as  if  the  honor  of  the 
country  was  staked  up<in  the  contest,  'i'lie  e.vcitement  is  often  in- 
creased by  gambiinir  to  iminen.se  amounts — immense  for  these  |)ooi 
savages,  who  have  little  to  lose,  and  who  freely  stake  all  upon  the 
game.  Tlu?  woiiien  and  children  share  in  the  interest,  watch  the 
progress  with  intensi'  an.victy,  and  announci^  the  result  by  loud 
shouts.  The  contest  is  active,  and  even  fierce.  The  parties  exer- 
cise great  command  over  their  tempers,  and  usually  conduct  their 
sports  with  good  humor  and  great  hilarity;  but  the  exeiti'iiient  is 
always  high,  and  sometimes  the  deeper  passions  are  awakened.    The 


58 


niO(JHAPiIY. 


strii<jfirl(>  tlioii  Ijocoines  fearful.  A  imniber  of  muscular  men,  imirctl 
to  toil  and  (laniicr,  sava^fc,  irascililc,  and  rcvcnircful  by  natnro  and 
liahil,  arc  soon,  with  tiicir  limbs  and  bodies  naked,  and  oiled,  to 
eii:iliIo  them  the  more  readily  to  elude  the  ffrasj)  of  an  adversary — 
now  rushincf  after  the  ball  with  uplifted  sticks,  now  gathered  rouud 


int. 


it,  striking  at  it  with  ra|)i(l  blows,  darting  upon  each  other,  j)nll 
\\  restliuL',  and   presenting  a  medley  in  which  it  seerns  hardly  jios- 
le  tliat  heads  and  liml)s  must  not  be  broken.    Blows  are  reccivvd 


Sll) 


as  il  upon  bodies  oi   iron.     Men  are   prostrated   and  trodden  under 
Coot.      I5ut  none  are  killed  ;  the  wounded  scum  tbrnel  tiieir  bruises. 


uid  the  luaten  bear  their  discomlitiire  without  mnri 


ntii 


'l"i 


lOUif 


h  S| 


irini' 


!• 


rt)U'  was  an  a 


rdent  and  successful  ball-oiaver. 


and  the  most  patient  of  anglers,  he  devoted  mucli  of  his  time  to  the 
more  prol'itai)le,  thouu:li  |(!ss  'j^en 


teel 
b- 


em|)loynH 


nt,  of 


raising  cattl 


d  pumpkins,     i[i^ 


trading  in  horses,  and  cultivating  i)eaiis,  com,  and  piimj 
aLTriculture  was  not  upon  an  extensive  scale;   but  it  was  enough  to 
turnish  the  means  of  a  comfortable  subsistence,  and  a  generous  hos- 


pitality ;  ins  iriends  were  always 


welcome  to  his  cheerful  (iresidc 


and  tlu;  stranger,  to  use  the  ligure  of  one  of  tlie  noblest  spirits  of  our 


land, 


never  found  the  string  of  his  latch  draw 


n  in. 


(lifted  with  a  discriminating  miiul,  he  was  a  strong  man  in  the 
council.  Amiable,  kind,  placid  in  his  disposition — loving  peace  and 
jiursuing  it,  he  always  advocated  conciliatory  measures,  and  was 
useful  on  many  occasions  in  softening  ai'.d  restraining  the  fiercer 
jiassions  of  liis  warlike  countrymen.  Hut  althougli  his  inclinations 
were  pacific,  he  lacked  neither  energy  nor  courage,  when  the  iiiteri'st 
or  honor  of  his  nation  required  the  oxercLso  of  those  qualities.  In 
1S18,  the  Osages  murdered  several  Cherokees  in  cold  blood.  Upon 
the  reception  of  the  news  of  this  injury,  the  Cherokees  flew  to  arms, 
and  instantly  adojjted  mi'asurcs  to  revenge  tlu^  outrage.  Spring 
Frog,  although  he  was  then  in  his  sixty-fourth  year,  was  among  the 
tirst  to  take  u])  the  war-club  in  this  (piarrel;  and  uniting  himself 
with  a  i)arty  of  his  tribe,  marched  in  pursuit  of  the  murderers.     So 


TOOAN   Tt;jl. 


59 


nijiid  and  socrot  was  tlic  inovciiu'iit,  tliat  tlio  track  of  llio  ofl'didcrs 
was  found  and  ])ursuod,  and  tlicy,  ignorant  tliat  any  pursnif  was  ou 
foot,  wcro  s<-ar('c]3'  arrived  at  llicir  villairc  wlicn  the  avcnu'^crs  of 
hlood  were  at  tlieir  heels.  Tlio  villa<fe  was  surprised  and  iiurned  ; 
eighty  of  the  Osages  were  kiUed  and  captured,  all  tlieir  provisions 
were  destroyed,  and  the  l)and,  for  the  ])resent.  l)rolxen  up.  Thus 
Spring  Frog  and  his  party  appeased,  as  they  supposed,  the  niaues 
of  their  slaughtered  friends;  and  thus  dearly  did  the  Osages  atono 
for  an  outrage  comniitted  m  mere  wantonness,  by  one  of  tlieir 
marauding  parties. 

lie  served  also  under  Cleneral  Jaekson  in  the  cainpaiLni  airainst 
the  Creeks,  and  fought  gallantly  in  the  l)attle  of  Knuiekfaw,  and  in 
that  of  the  Horse  Shoe.  His  coolness  in  i)a1tle,  and  his  habits  of 
ilisciplinc"  and  obedience,  on  all  occasions,  were  conspicuous. 

He  was  among  the  earliest  ol"tiieemiirraiits  to  the  country  assigned 
the  Cherokees,  west  of  Arkansas,  and  we  liii|ic  that  lie  li\cii  lo  be 
s.itisfied  of  the  advantages  of  that  moveiuent.  Tiie  clianu'c  has  thus 
lar  proved  eminently  successful.  Many  of  the  Cherokees  have 
larue  farms,  under  a  good  stat(>  of  cultivation,  and  large  droves  of 
cattle  and  horses.  'I'lieir  dwclliugs  and  oMier  iinjaoxemeiits  are 
comfortable  and  well  constructed.  They  lia\e  mills,  schools,  me- 
chanics, and  many  other  of  the  e\  idcnces  and  arts  of  civilizeil  life. 
An  intelligent  traveller,  who  lately  vis:'  .-d  their  country,  says — "  We 
pas.sed  many  line  farms  on  our  way,  and  as  evening  fell,  came  to 
the  missionary  station  of  Dwiglit,  with  which  we  found  ourselves 
mueli  pleased.  This  institution  has  fnr  its  object  the  advancement, 
.scientifically  and  morally,  of  tiie  ( 'lierokees.  It  was  founded  some 
twenty  years  ago,  and  has  continued  faitiil'ul  to  the  Indians  through 
all  that  long  period.  It  was  llr.st  comme'iccd  in  tiie  year  {^•2\,  in 
what  is  now  called  J'ope  county,  on  the  waters  of  Illinois  bayou, 
where  suitable  buildings  were  erected,  farms  open(>d,  and  schools 
established,  in  which  were  gathered  the  children  of  the  then  wild 
Cherokees,  to  the  yearly  number  of  one  hundred.     'I'he  Clierokee,s 


«0 


BIOGRAPHY. 


wcir,  ri  portion  wlin  liad  removed  from  their  old  coiiiifrv  sil  iin  early 
period,  imd  were  denominated  U^csfcni  Ciieroliees,  but  are  nowdis- 
tiniL,niislied  as  the  old  settlers." 

Tliose  missionaries  have  resided  there  for  many  years  undisturbed, 
in  the  peaceful  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  on  the  kindest  terms 
willi  the  Cherokces.  They  iiave  witnessed  tlie  eonimencement  and 
whole  progress  of  this  interesting  colony,  and  have  been  identilied 
with  its  entire  history.  Tlicy  have  done  great  good  to  the  Chero 
kee.s,  and  are  entitled  to  their  gratitude. 


TISllCOllAN. 


Of  Tishcohan,  Tasucamin,  Teshakomen,  alias  Ti.sliekuuk,  little 
is  known,  except  what  is  contained  in  Mr.  Fisher  and  Mr.  Tyson's 
Ileijort.  His  name  occurs  in  Heckewelder's  Catalogue,  and  means, 
in  the  Delaware  language,  "  He  who  never  hkickciis  himself."  We 
may  note,  on  referring  to  the  likeness,  the  correctness  of  the  de- 
scription, in  the  absence  of  those  daubs  of  paint  with  which  the 
Indian  is  so  fond  of  deforming  himself. 

Tasucamin  and  Lappawinsoe  were  both  signers  of  the  celebrated 
Walking  Purchase  of  1737.  By  this  treaty  was  ceded  to  the  pro- 
prietaries of  Pennsylvania,  an  extensive  tract  of  country,  stretching 
along  the  Delaware,  from  the  Neshamany  to  far  alx)ve  the  Forks  at 
Easton,  and  westward  "  as  far  as  a  man  could  walk  in  a  day  and 
a  half  This  transaction  has  been  stigmatized  by  Charles  Tliomson 
as  one  of  the  most  nefarious  schemes  recorded  in  the  colonial  annals 
of  Pennsylvania.  It  appears  that  the  white  men,  employed  to  walk 
with  the  Indians,  performed  the  task  with  a  celerity  of  which  the 
Indians  loudly  complained.  They  protested  against  its  manner  of 
performance  as  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  their  contract,  and  an  en- 
croachment on  their  ancient  usages.  They  alleged  that  it  had  been 
usual,  on  other  occasions,  to  walk  with  deliberation,  and  to  rest  and 
smoke  by  the  way,  but  that  the  walkers,  so  called,  actually  ran, 
and  performed,  within  the  period,  a  journey  of  most  unreasonable 
extent. 

This  purchase  ha.s  been  differently  viewed  by  different  writers. 


(5'J 


ni()(iKAI>IIY. 


Loifaii  cliiiiiis  llic  Iiiiid  fur  the  iirnpriL'tiirifs,  on  a  two-fold  title,  iiidn- 
[Miidciit  of  the  tiraly.      lli'  I'iaiiiis  it  iiiulcr  a  deed  made,  in  Ids*!, 


til  ti 


ni'rdci'cssoi'.s  o 


f  ll 


iidiaiis,  wlio  assci 


rtcd 


a  i'i<>lit  to  it  III 


II 


f  cla 


iiiis  it  under  a  releasee   trom  tlic    l'"iv 


\al 


ions,  111  tlio 


> 


car  17;J(i,  who,  at  that  tiiiit',  excrciKcd  over  the 


J)il; 


I  wares 


that 


111- 


soleiu'o  of  superiority  wliicli  tlie  code  of  all  nations  has  accorded  to 
(•oni|uest.  Tiiis  duple  ri^lit,  tho  same  excellent  writer  seeks  further 
to  i-oiilirni  and  estahlisii,  by  deiiyiiijf  to  the  Indians,  with  whom  tho 


W 


iIUiiil; 


reatv  uas  co 


ncliided,  aiiv  oriyiiial   title   to  the  territorv 


ceded,  on  llie  i^round  tliat  tiiey  wciv  new  settlers  from  Jersey. 

On  the  other  li:iiid,  ( 'harles  'riionison  disputes  the  antecedent 
riy;lit  of  tiie  jiroprielaries,  under  tlie  i]i'i'(\  of  lOsCi,  and  the  release 
of  1TM(),  and  |)laces  the  u  hole  (lueslioii  upon  the  honesty  \\  ith  w  liicli 
the  stipulations  of  tiie  conlraetiiiir  |)arlies  were  performed  in  the 
Walhiiiti  Purchase.  And  does  it  not  at  last  repose  here  .'  The 
tei'iiis  of  the  oiii^iiial  deed  are  not  known.  lis  autlieiiticily  rests 
onl\  on  tradition,  and  several  authoritative  leiral  w  riti'rs  speaU 
duiiiouslv  of  its  ever  haviiiir  existed.  One  ihiiijji;  is  certain,  even  if 
it  did  exist — //  hail  inrcr  Ixiji  iralhid  out. 


le   release   Irom   the    Five 


Nat 


loiis  can   seareelv  l)c   liiouijht   to 


impart  \aliili1\  to  a  tilh',  w  iiieii  is  drfeclixc  w  itiioul  it.    The  |)eciiliar 
siiiiiiiualiou   lo  which   the   vaiKpiished   trihe  suhmitt 


ed,  eoilld    oiilv 


tii\e  to  the  coiupurors ///r   lif/hl  (if  /irr.foiKif  (/iiiii(//(i/i.ship,  uo\    the 
po\\(  r  of  I  i/jiifiid/iiiii.      JJesides,    it   is  Justly   contendetl,  that  any 


tenilorial  ri'/hts  aci| 


iiired  hv  the  Five  Nations  were  coiilined  to  the 


hmd  on  the  tril)Ularies  of  the  Sus(|uelia 


inii;i 


aiu 


1   never  extended  to 


the  waters  of  tiie  Delaware. 


W 


e   iiiav.  tlier 


efore,  return  to  the  Treatv  of  1737,  and  e.xami 


lie 


into  the  manner  in  w  hieh  it  was  executed.  If  tln^  Indians  contraeted 
with  had  no  rights,  why  was  a  treaty  entertained  with  them  at  all? 
^\  hen  the  proprietaries  eiiteixd  into  a  compact  with  tlie  Iiidian.s, 
they  jfave  to  them  a  ri^lit  to  incpiire  into  the  fidelity  with  wiiich 
it,  was  jierlbrmed,  and   j)ledg((l   their  own    honors  for   it.s   faithful 


TISHCOIIAN. 


6;i 


olisorvancc.      Was   tlir    s|ii'((l   nf    niimiiiii  a    lilcnil   or  lioiiorablo 
f.\(M'ulii)ii  of  a  Ircatv  h>  iralLf 

It  was  this  (K'jiiu'lnrr  Croiii  llif  Irniis  auii  sjiirit  <i|'  the  I'fuitracl 
wliii'h  lllird  till'  Indians  with  so  niiicli  dissatisfaction  and  litMrt- 
liiiniiiiij:.  Till'  (  xcciitioti  of  the  treaty  uas  viewed  hy  ihciii  a>  a 
piece  of  knaxcry  and  euiiiiiiiy,  and  i:oneurred  witli  other  potent 
causes  ore.straii'^eiiieiit  in  hriii^'iiiL;  almnt  the  most  iiniia|)p\-  results. 
'The  Miiiids  of  the  Indians  hecaine  alienated.  eiiil)iltered,  iiillained; 
and  a  perverse  and  heartless  |ioli('y,  on  the  part  of  tliuir  u  lute  neigh- 
hors,  made  the  lireaeh  irreeoncilai)le. 

But  tins  people,  even  when  goaded  to  di.'speratioii  hy  acts  of  high 
handed  oppression  and  cruel  selfishness,  did  not  forget  the  days  of 
W  illiain  I'cnii,  and  were  sonietinies  induced  hy  the  recollection,  to 
ahstaiii  from  visiting  upon  his  successors  that  degree  of  retaliation 
which  would  have  heeii  pi.st,  according  to  their  ideas  of  retributive 
jii.sticc.  Tl  was  this  same  people,  in  the  days  of  their  valor  and  mar- 
tial glory,  that  lived  on  terms  of  cordiality  and  friendship  witii  that 
great  man  and  his  followers,  in  conferring  and  receiving  benefits, 
for  a  period  of  fortv  years!  It  was  this  people  so  actively  kind,  so 
unafrcctedly  grateful  towards  tlie  unarmed  strangers  who  sought 
refuge  from  persecution  in  their  silent  forests,  that  .suffered  from  the 
descendanls  of  these  strangers,  tho?»<;  keen  griefs  arising  from  a  deep 
sense  of  unmerited  injury,  joined  to  a  perception  of  meditated  and 
the  certainty  of  ultimate  annihilation  Contemporaneou.sly  with 
the  date  of  the  portraits  from  which  the  two  foregoing  engravings 
are  reduced,  the  amity  ami  good  neiglilK)rhood  which  had  subsisted 
between  the  colonists  of  I'cmisvlvania  and  tjio  Delaware  Indian.s, 
gave  way  to  a  state  of  feeling  which  ended  in  the  departure  ofthe.se 
sons  of  tlie  soil  from  their  long-enjoyed  inheritance,  to  seek  an  abode 
in  soiiu!  distant  wild,  some  nna[)propriated  solitude  of  the  western 
country.  After  the  indignity  th(\y  rei^eived  from  Canassatego,  in 
1712,  tliey  retired  to  Wyoming  and  Shamokin,  and  finally  pene- 
trated beyond   the  Ohio,  where  the  survivors  live  but  to  brood  over 


14  BIOGUAl'IIY. 

their  wrongs,  ami  transinit  tliern  to  their  (Jescoiulants.  Piirsiieu 
from  river  to  river,  they  at  last  f^rew  tired  of  retreat;  and,  tiirniii)? 
back  upon  tlieir  jiiirsiu^rs,  intlictod  upon  tliern  art  thoso  cruelties 
•>vhich  are  prunipted  by  resentment  and  despair. 


WANATA. 


This  is  a  fiiin  picture,  and  roprcseiits  a  very  tlistiiiLfuislicd  per 
soiiaiifc.  Althoiij^li  the  8ioux  ure  divided  into  scv(  r.il  tribes,  ^nj. 
verncd  liv  dilVcrcnt  leaders,  tliis  individual,  in  considcratidn  (if  his 
|)arani(iiint  inllnence.  is  calh-d  tlu!  <frand  chief.  His  dress  exhiitits 
an  air  of  state  and  dii,niity  whiidi  is  often  assumed  i)y  tlie  ai)ori^inal 
ehicfs,  i»nt  is  seUoni  so  siieeessfidly  disphiyed.  It  <'oiisists  of  a  lon;j[ 
rol)e  of  the  skin  of  the  hiiffalo,  skilfnily  |»re|ian'd  hy  tiie  [ndian 
women.  i)y  a  laborious  process,  whidi  renders  it  at  once  soft  and 
wlnte.  I''iu[iires  are  traced  upon  this  material  witii  paint,  or  worlied 
into  it  witii  spHnters  of  tiie  (pulls  of  the  porcupine,  dyetl  with  the 
most  uaudv  colors.  'I'he  pluma<^e  of  th((  bird  is  tastefully  inter- 
woven ;  and  the  whole  is  .so  disj)o.sed  as  to  form  a  rude,  but  aj)pr')- 
priate  dress  tiir  the  |)(i\verfid  ruler  of  a  savage  people. 

Mr.  Keatiiiif,  in  his  narrative  of  the  Expedition  to  the  Source  of 
the  8t.  I'eter's,  describes  an  interview  with  this  cliief,  and  udves  an 
account  of  his  person  and  appart'l,  nhicli  nearly  conforms  with  tlie 
portrait  in  this  number.  "He  was  dressed  in  the  full  lial)it  of  an 
Indian  chief;  wt;  have  never  seen  a  more  digniJied  person,  or  a  more 
becoming  dress.  The  most  prondnent  part  of  his  apparel  was  a 
splendid  cloak,  or  mantle  of  bnllalo  skin,  dressed  so  as  to  be  of  a 
fuic  white  color;  it  was  decorated  with  small  tufts  of  owls'  featheis, 
and  others  of  various  hues,  probably  a  remnant  of  a  fabric,  once  in 
jjfeneral  use  among  t'lie  aboriijfines  of  o\ir  territory,  and  still  worn  in 
the  north-east  and  north-west  jKu-ts  of  this  continent,  as  well  as  in 

0  (66) 


fU(»( 


I  he  Sdiitli  Se;i  Tslaiuls,  Tt  \va 
ropcan  visitors  of  Noith  Aiiicr 
Itlaiikcl,  wliiili  were  hy  lliciii  in 
lurmcd  of  a)i(iiit  mxI\  claws  dl 
cliaiaclcr  to  iiis  wlidlc  ;i|)|H'ai'a 
casoiis  were  in  the  real  Dacota 
|ir(ifiisclv«lt'iMratiMl  .iitli  liuinan 
witli  tlic  |ihiniaif(' (if  several  iiin 
luativ  cut  ami  siiiootlied,  and  |i 
iiateil  tlie  iiiiiiilier  <it'<„niiis!i(it  \\ 
were  seemed  liv  a  sti'i|i  nl  red  i 


UAIMJY. 

s  \vl 

lat  was  e; 

•lied 

l.v  tl 

It   fn-s 

En- 

iea, 

tlie   fealhi 

■r  mantle 

and   U 

•alher 

iieli 

admired. 

A  s 

jiIeMi! 

id  nee 

\laee, 

llie 

'4ri/,/ly  Ik 

•ar,  impar 

ed  a  manly 

nee. 

His  lejriiiiis 

jaekc 

■t.  and 

nioe- 

fas! 

ion,  Ik  iuLT  ma 

le  of 

wliite 

skins. 

liair;  his  inoe 

•asor 

IS  were  vari( 

i^ated 

(Is. 

In  liis  liair  In 

wore 

nine  s 

ti(d\s, 

aiiit 

•d  witli  V( 

rmil 

ion  : 

diese   ( 

lesicr- 

nnil< 

is  wliiidi 

ir  III 

id  ret 

eived  ; 

tliey 

•Idtl 

;    two  |ila 

tteil 

tressi 

s  of  lii 

s  liair 

were  allowed  to  liaiej;  Inrward  ;  !iis  tliee  \\as  lastcfull)  painted  with 
vermilion  ;  in  his  hand  lu'  liore  a  lar;j;e  tan  of  the  leathers  dl  the 
t\irkev;   this  he  iVefpienlly  u.sed. 


\\ 


f  lia\f  never  sciii  a  noiiicr  laec,  or  a  nidre  impressiNc  eharae- 
ter.  than  that  >>{'  the  Daiola  eliief,  a>  he  siddd  (hul  afternddn,  in  his 
nianlv  and  (diara(  leri>tie  dress.  eorteiiiplatiiiLr  a  ilaiiee  pcrldrmed  li\ 
the  men  of  hi>  iiwn  nation.  It  would  reipiirt;  iho  utmost  talent  of 
the  arti>t  to  eunvey  a  lair  idea  of  this  ehief;  to  display  his  nianlv  ami 
rei^nlar  features,  slroii'jly  stamped,  it  is  true,  uitii  the  Indian  eha- 
raelcr,  l)ut  adniiralily  Iden.ied  w  ith  an  expn  >si(]|i  of  mildness  and 
iiiiidcstv  ;  and  it  woulil  nipiiic  mi  less  talent  to  represent  '•'.■.! 
^laeeful  and  unstudied  fdlds  ni    his  niaiitle." 

Ani'tlirr  inliiv  iew  with  this  chief  is  thus  deserihed  ;  "  .\s  we  ap- 
ju-ared  updii  ihc  ludw  dl'  the  hill,  which  commands  the  cdm|iaii\"s 
tcirt.  a  saliile  was  \\vi't\  from  a  niimlier  ol  lu<lian  tent'*,  wiih  h  \\ri\- 
iiitclicd   ill   the    vicinilv .  from   the   laiuevt   df  whicii   the   American 


(•dlors  wcic  liv  iiiL'^  ;  and  as  snnn  as  \\i  disiiiounU'd  liom  our  horses, 
wi'  recci\cd  an  in\  ilaliou  to  a  ft  a^t,  vUiich  W  aiiata  liad  preparvil  for 
us  The  ni'iitli'iiitn  tif  the  cdiiipai  infdrmed  us  that,  as  soitn  as 
till'  Indians  liad  heard  nf  oiir  cdiilemplaled  \isil,  thes  had  <  oni- 
meiiced  till  ir  preparations  for  a  fe^tiv.ii.  ami  that  lhe\  had  killi>l 
ihiee  df  tiieir  tlous.      \\  e  icpain^l   to  a  sort  dl    paMlinn  wliitdi  ihey 


VV  ANA  TV. 


«7 


liiiil  iTtu'li'i],  l)y  till!  iiinoii  of  .s(>V(  mI  skin  lodgijs.  Fine  biiiralo  robes 
\v(!re  spread  all  around,  and  llic  air  was  perfumed  by  the  odor  of 
sweet-scented  grass  wliidi  liad  l)e(U  Ijurned  in  it.  On  cntcrin^r  the 
lod-re,  we  s!>w  the  chief  seated  near  the  farther  end  of  it,  and  one 
of  his  principal  men  poin1i>d  out  to  us  the  place  which  was  destined 
for  our  accnmmndalion.  It  was  at  the  upper  end  of  the  lodge;  tlie 
Inilians  who  were  in  it  luking  no  furlhi'r  notice  of  us.  These  con- 
sisteil  of  the  chief,  his  son,  a  lad  about  eight  years  old,  and  eight  or 
ten  of  the  principal  warriors.  The  chief's  dress  prcseiil^d  a  mi.x- 
tiire  of  th.!  Eiirojjean  and  :dK)riginal  costume;  he  wore  moccasons 
and  leiftrins  of  si)iendid  scarlet  cloth,  a  hue  shirt  of  printed  muslin, 
over  this  a  frock  coat  of  fine  blue  cloth,  with  .scarlet  lacings,  some- 
what similar  to  the  undress  uniform  coat  of  a  Prussian  olliccr  ;  this 
was  buttoned  aiio  secured  round  the  wai.st  by  a  belt.  I'pon  his 
head  he  wore  a  blue  cloth  caj),  made  like  a  German  fatigue  cap.  A 
very  hand.some  Mackinaw  blanket,  .slightly  ornamented  with  paint, 
wiLs  thrown  over  his  jierson." 

The  writer  describes  tlu!  (;ountenanco  of  Wanata  as  prepos.sessing. 
The  portrait  i)efore  us  indicates  a  thoughlf\il  and  resolute,  if  not  a 
generous,  disposition.  He  is,  however,  a  very  magnificent  savage, 
and  has  an  air  of  command  which  is  sufliciently  regal. 

The  Dacotas  are  the  Arabs  of  western  America.  Inhabiting  the 
vast  prairies  which  lie  between  the  Mississi])|)i  and  the  Missouri, 
they  wander  extensively  over  those  beautiful  plains  in  search  of 
game,  or  in  pursuit  o(  their  enemies,  roaming  often  beyond  their 
proper  limits,  to  the  shores  of  the  northern  lakes,  and  to  the  l)anks 
of  the  Arkansas  and  Rod  rivers.  The  topography  of  their  country 
makc-i  thvm  horsemen,  the  vast  extent  and  even  surface  of  tli. 
prairies  rendering  the  service  of  the  horse  parti<'ularly  desirable. 
Fpon  this  nol)le  animal  they  perform  their  long  journeys,  charge 
their  enemies  in  battle,  or  chase  liu'  buiralo.  They  are  expert  and 
fearless  riders,  managing  their  horses  with  a  surprising  deirree  of 
dexterity,  and  using  tluiiu  with  equal  success  in  the  chase,  and  in  war. 


BIOCJUAPHY, 


Waiiat.i  is  a  cliicf  of  the    Yaiiktonas,  a   triln'   of  tlio   Sioux,  rir 


Dii 


ifotti   liiili:ms,   \vli(is(;   proper  rfsiiicucc   is  on    tlie   waters  o 


r  li 


lU 


River  St.  T'eter,  u  iiieli  empties  into  tlie  Mississip|)i.  a  slmrl  distanee 
lieliiw  tlie  (alls  I  if  St.  Antlioiiy.  Tliey  are  (li\  ideil  into  six  l)aii(ls, 
aii'l  have  ah<>u;rtlifr  aliont  four  hundred  and  fifty  lodu^es,  whieh  eon- 
t:iin  a  jiopnli'.tion  of  luMween   five  and  six  thousand,  of  whom  ihir- 


ti  en  linndred  are  warriors. 


'  CW  (' 


liiets  can  h'ad  so  manv  followers 


to  battle.      'l"he  whole   Dacota  nation  is  estimated  to  comprise  sixty 


tiioiisand  soid^ 


The    Vanktoi 


as    it    is  otherwise   written, 


Vauktoanan,  is  one  ol'  the  most  important  ol'  tiie  trilies.  ami  ma\  no 


the   llrst,  in  conxipience  ut'  tiie  inllnenci 


W 


w 


inata. 


Til 


ird  \'anl\tona  si'/nifies  /iv//  hiij.  'I'liey  do  not  dwell  in  per- 
maneut  houses,  hut  in  fine  skin  lodifes,  made  of  lln'  hide  of  tluf 
hulfalo.  n(  all\  dressed  and  (h'eoraled,  and   whicli  the}    move  with 


l'acdit\  Irom 


•e  to  olace 


At  tl 


ally  au;e  ot' ei'^hteen  Wanata  was  distiimiiisiied  as  a  war- 


ri 


or,  and  fouirht  a^rainst  the  Aint>ricans  under  the  eoinmand  of  his 
fatlier,  who  was  then  chief  of  llie  trihe,  and  who  ciierishecl  a  mortal 
iiatred  a;(ainst  the  American  people.  J)urin;.;  the  last  war  iietween 
Great  Brit;iin  and  the  I'niled  States,  lie  joined  the  lormer,  and  was 


one  ol"  a    iinirderons 


haml  of  savaifes  eoII(>cled   hv  ( "oloiiel   l)ixon. 


under  wiiom  he  fon^iit  at  Sandusky,  where  lie  was  wdunded.  He 
has  since  professed  frieiidsiiip  towards  tlie  I'nited  States,  hut  he  is 
well   known  to  he  a  crafty  leader,  who  would   lavor  or  |iluiider  any 


partv,  as  his  interest  miv(ht  di.uite 


II 


is  position,  however,  is  ikiw 


sui'h  as  to  place  him  in  our  power,  and  oilers  him  little  inducement 
to  incur  the  displeasure  of  our  i^overmiient.  On  the  other  hand,  he 
continues  to  cultivate  a  <i;o(m1  imderstandinjl  with  his  former  friends. 
llanuiiiLi  thronL;h  all  the  country,  from  the  trihiilarv  streams  of  the 
St.  I'eler's  to  I,ake  \\  iniiepe<r,  he  often  comes  in  contact  with  the 
inliahit  lilts  of  the  iJrilish  coliuiy  in  that  i.solated  retrioii,  who  have 
eiidea\ored  to  conciliate  this  powerful  and  wilv  sa\aL'e  hv  valnaiile 


(ireseuts,  which  he  receives  a; 


the  I 


riliute  i\n{'  to  his  liiyh  reputation. 


W  A  N  A  T  A 


lie  lias  Iiad  the  sairari1\-  to  HMidcr  tliis  iiilcrcoiirsc  a 


-(it,  1) 


)V  |)rai-ti>iiiif  siicccsst'iillv  mi  tlic  I'rars  of  t 


wrv  IS 


iiicidfiit  ill  tlic  life  of  tiiis  cliii'l 
illiistrutivc  <il'  llic  sii|it'r>liliiiii  as  \m1I  as  tlic  I'ditili 
rliaiiii'lvT.  Oil  the  eve  of  a  jounicv  wliicli  lie  i 
w  liicii  ill!  was  iilvt'iy  to  \n\  cxjiostMl  to  great  liaii'^i 
pcwas,  in.'  made  a  vow  to  llic  siiii  tiiat,  it"  iu'  slioiii 
would  alistain  iVoiii  limd  and  drink  for  (our  day: 
woiiiii  I'.is'riliiitt'  allloIl^f  liis  in'oplc  all  his  [irojicrty 


tloll. 


I{.1 


iiriiiiii.S  wi 


tllOIlt 


accidnit,  ills  lirst  can 


he  (lance  o 


ftl 


ir  slin — a  n'rellioiiN'  so  slicn 


inu',  that  we  eaii  searci 


l>    ii 


iiiK'ini'  a  siitiii'ieiith'  si 


kiiii;ly 
ith 


fur  its  voliiiitarv  perforinance.  Deep  incisinns  v 
brtiiisl  and  arms,  so  as  to  separate  the  skin  (idin 
form  of  loops,  lliroilifli  wliieli  a  mpe  was  passed,  ; 
f-iii'd   to  ii  tall  vertical   pole,  erected    (or  the  |iiirp< 


60       • 

1  source  of  re;^iilar 

ies(!  1 

•olonists. 

w  hit 

h    is   hi'^dily 

lule  1 

('  the  Iiulian 

liade 

in   IvJ-i,  ill 

er  fn 

III  the  Chip- 

d   return  safe,  lie 

s  anil 

iiiL^hts,  and 

■  of  every  descrip- 

\K  as 

to  cclehrato 

laint'i 

1  and  revolt- 

roiiLf 

iiidiicemeiit 

M're 

made  in  the 

til.' 

llesh.  in  the 

and  t 

lie  ends  fast- 

ise  ill 

front  of  his 

lode 


lie  hc'ran  the   horrid  exercise  at  tiie  comiiieiiceineiit  ot   Ins 


fast,  and  continned  it  lhroii<_rlioiil  the  four  davs,  sometimes  dancin^r, 


and  freipieiitly  llirowin<f  his  whole  weight  upon  the  eord  which  w 
passed  throiiirli  his  skin,  and  suiniiiiiu   to  and   Irn   in  this   paii 


iiS 


.fill 


nosition. 


At  til 


e  conclusion   he  sunk  exhausted,  and  was  reliesct 


l»v  his  friends.    After  the  ceroiiioiiy  was  over,  he  distriliiited  aiiioii<r 


his  peo|»Ie   all    his   property,  I'oii 


iistinir  <'f  his  lodu'es,  dc 


nms, 


trinkets,  rolies,  and  several  (ini>  horses;  and  he  and   his  two  uivj-s, 
ahandonin'f  their  teut,  with  its  fnrniluro,  took  up  their  lodirin;,'  in 


tl 


IP  oiK'ii  air. 


When  the  Rickani  villaues.  on  the  Missouri,  w 

Ih 


•re  liiirned  in  \'^'2'^, 


by  the  tr(M>ps  tinder  Colonel  I,ea\eiiworlh,  in  retaliation  tor  somo 
acts  of  depredation  committed  liv  them,  that  tribe  retired  from  tlio 
place,   but    returned    in    l^-.M.       W  aiiata    seized    this   occasion    to 


streiiLfthen  his  power;  and,  eiicoi 


inmed  bv  traders  who  had   been 


ill  treated   bv  tlu'    Kickaras.  he   iiiaile  war   upon   that   trilie.  which, 
Weakened  and  dispirited  by  the  <hasliscnicnl  recently  indict. il  on 


70 


BIOGllAl'IIY. 


tlirm,  madt  Imt  u  feel)!!"  rcsistaiio'.  lie  biinicd  tlirir  \illau;cs  again, 
ami  <lni\»'  tluiiu  Iroin  tlu'  loiiiilry-  Here  lu-  fstaldisiicil  liiiiisclf. 
I)(  IwctMi  tlu!  Kickarasaml  Maiidans;  and  lio  lias  iviT  siiicf  ictaincd 

llis  CdlKllK's.. 

Wanuta  was  only  twcnty-eislit  years  old  when  visited  hy  the 
party  under  Colonel  I/oni^,  wliose  description  (il'liim  we  have  copied. 
Our  portrait  was  taken  some  years  later,  lie  is  a  tall  and  linely 
i'ornied  man,  more  tliai.  si.v  i'eet  in  liei<flit.  Mis  manners  ar(>  diirni- 
(ied  and  ri'servcd,  and  Ins  attitudi  s,  iIhmiuIi  studied,  are  uraceiid. 
lie.  is  now  about  ibrty-live  years  o|"  a^^e,  ami  eonunamis  more  in- 
llnenee  than  any  oilier  Indian  eliietOn  the  continent,  liis  rule  over 
ids  own  tribe  is  absolute.  lie  lias  no  rival  nr  <'oiiipeer.  lie  resorts 
neither  to  presents  nor  to  persuasion  to  secure  obedience,  but  issues 
ids  peremptory  mandates,  wliich  are  never  disputed. 

'J'lie  traders  speak  of  liim  as  one  wlio  may  be  trusted,  because  rt 
IS  policy  to  be  at  peace  with  the  whites  ;  but  they  place  no  confidence 
in  his  friendship,  and  have  little  faith  in  his  iuteirrify.  Bravo,  skil- 
ful, and  sairacious,  he  is  ijraspinjf,  artful,  and  overbearin<j: ;  it  is 
safer  to  .secure  his  interest  than  to  tru.st  to  his  generosity  or  mercy. 


S II  All  A  K A. 


Tins  portrait  is  not  iiioludod  in  tlic  Indian  tralicry  at  Wasliintrton 
cilv,  lint  is  of  an  older  date,  and  fipiallv  authentic  with  tliose  eon- 
t  liu'"]  in  tlie  national  coUcetion.  It  was  kindiv  |)ointe(i  ont  to  ns  in 
tlio  liall  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  in  i'liiladelphia,  Itv 
the  vpneral)lc  and  accomplished  librarian  of  that  institntion,  John 
Vantfhan,  V,si\.,  who  permitted  ns  to  take  this  (ropy.  Our  inrormatioii 
coiicerninir  the  original  is  chicdy  i,d(^aned  from  tiio  travels  of  Lewis 
and  Clark,  a  work  compiled  with  sinijnlar  tidelitv.  and  replete  with 
valnaiile  information.  , 

In  tlie  ascent  i>f  tlie  Missouri,  in  the  \car  i'^OI,  the  enter|irisinLr 
travellers  aliove  menlioned,  halted  at  th(>  Mandan  villages,  situate  I 
far  licyond  the  frontier  settlements,  at  a  point  to  whi<di  hut  few 
wiute  men  had  iiinetrated.  'I'hev  were  kindly  ri'ceived  1)\-  the 
Muidans,  w  lio,  havin<j;  had  no  direct  intercoiu'se  with  the  white 
people,  had  not  experienced  the  oppression  which  has  ever  fallen 
upon  the  weaker  part\ .  in  the  contact  of  die  two  races.  'I"he  leaders 
of  the  exploiniu'  expi-lition  were  so  well  pleased  with  their  recep- 
tioii,  tl;at,  lindini,;  the\  could  not  procciil  niuch  lurther  Itejorc  their 
pr'ijress  wouM  lie  arrested  by  the  excessive  cold  of  this  hi'_di  lati- 
tude, tlicv  determined  t.-  sjicnd  the  winter  amonif  the  IiospitaMe 
Maiilans.  Huts  were  accordinuly  erected,  and  they  remained 
here,  duriu'j;  the  inclement  season,  enjoying  .in  uninterrupted  inter- 
cliaiiLfc  of  fri.'udh  ollices  with  the  natives. 

On  their  arrival,  a  i-onncil   was  held,  at   which,  after  smokin<^ 

("1  ) 


SIIAIIAKA.  7'! 

B(!two»Mi  tlicin  and  \hv  Uiiitod  Stales  froiilifr  woro  the  Arickaras, 
llitir  cnciiiiifs,  whose  towns  must  ot"  necessity  In;  jkisscmI  by  \\h-  de- 
sctiidin^r  boats  ;  tlie  roving  bands  of  tlio  Sioux  also  frequently  eoni- 
niitted  depredations  along  the  left  shore  of  the  Missouri,  while  the 
right  bank  was  accessible  to  the  Osagos;  and  although  the  Ameri- 
can odicers  promised  to  protect  those  who  should  accompany  them, 
and  to  bring  them  back  to  tlieir  homes,  tiiey  could  notovercomi-  the 
jealous  and  timid  reluctance  of  any  of  the  chiefs,  except  Le  (hand 
Blanche,  or  the  Big  White,  who  agreed  to  become  their  companion. 
Our  gallant  explorers  liave  unfortunately  given  a  very  brief  account 
of  their  journey  after  leaving  the  Mandan  villages,  on  their  return 
voyage,  and  we  find  no  record  of  the  conduct  of  the  Big  White, 
under  such  novel  circumstances.  It  would  have  been  very  interest- 
ing to  have  heard  from  those  gentlemen,  who  had  just  visited  the 
Indians  in  their  own  abofles,  an  account  of  tlie  remarks  and  beha- 
vior of  an  Indian  chief,  under  similar  circumstances.  We,  however, 
only  know  that  he  visited  our  seat  of  government,  and  returned  in 
safety  to  his  friends. 


lu 


CHITTEJ':    VOIIOLO. 


riiiTTKi:  YoiioT.o,  or  The  snahe  llint  makes  a  noise,  is  a  Seminole 
of  sdiiic  note,  altlioiitfli  but  t.wfiily-('iL,dit  yt'iirs  (ifiis^o.  Ilowas  Ikji'ii 
ill  I'loi'ida,  ill  that  rt'ifioii  of  iiiiii-i'.(ssil)|c  swanijis,  uliicii  our  •fallaiit 


1r(in|)s  liavi!  loiiiid  to  l)i'  any  tliiii^f  l)iit  a  land  ot  11o\m'I> 
|)ltxioii.  w 


11 


IS  Cdlll- 


liicli  is  of  a  darluT  liuc  than  that  of  our  oilier  Iniliaiis, 
marks  his  (h^sccnt  ;  and  there  is  an  expression  of  fierceness  in  the; 
eoniitenance  indicative  of  a  race  iivintr  in  |)erpotiial  liostihty.  f^iicli 
lias  heeii  the  history  of  the  Seniinoles,  who  are,  as  their 


name  indi- 


cates, wanderers,  or  outcasts,  from  other  tribes.  A  few  restless  in- 
dividuals, who  separated  themselvt's  from  the  southern  nations, 
either  from  dislike  a>rainst  the  modilied  habits  introduced  into  those 
communities  by  their  contact  with  the  whites,  or  from  im])atieiice 
of  the  restraints  even  of  savaj^e  life,  strayed  olF  to  the  wilds  of 
I'Morida,  and  connected  themselves  with  some  feeble  remnants  of  the 
•  ncient  population,  who  lintiered  in  that  remote  retrion.  W'iiile  that 
province  remained  iii  jM)ssession  of  the  Spaniards,  the  ji'alonsy  of 
that  ffovernment,  as  well  as  the  |»eculiar  character  of  the  country, 
and  tlu;  savaire  nature  of  the  people,  rendered  it  comparatively  in- 
accessible to  American  curiosity  or  enterprise;  and  wo  knew  little 
of  the  savaire  tribes  witiiin  its  limits,  except  from  their  occasional 
depredations  upon  our  frontier,  and  from  the  protection  aflbrded  by 


them  t(»  runaway  slaves  from  the  southern  statt 


'11 


cse  e 


vils  b( 


came  enh:inced  diiriiiL'  liie  late  war  wilii  (Ireat  Hritain,  and  one  of 

the  chief  induci'inents  to  tiie  purchase  of  l-'lorida,  by  our  sfovernment. 
(74) 


HIOCJUAI'IIY. 


75 


was  tlip  hopn  of  eitlior  tiiniinu;  or  drivinjf  iiway  such  troul)lesome 
iiciu;lilK)rs.  \V«  mcri'ly  toncli  the  .siilijcct  ii>  tliis  \t\ucv  lor  llii'  piir- 
|ios(^  of  .slio\viii}j[  vr'.ijit  \vi'  suppose  to  Iw  tin;  riiaiii  causi;  of  llic  fero- 
cious and  obstiuatc  characlcr  of  tlic  liostilitios  that  liave  recfMitly 
reudtTL-d  that  rogiou  a  scciif  of  widc-sproad  desolation.  In  tlie  his- 
tory of  wars  of  ajjgravatcd  niahivoh-ncf,  it  will  i^tMicrally  he  found 
that  some  ancient  grudj^M',  fcsterin^f  in  the,  passions  of  the  frontier 
po])\dation,  j^ives  a  secret  rancor  to  the  dispute  whirii  it  couhl 
scarcely  have  attained  from  the  jwlitical  differences  that  are  alone 
apparent  to  the  public  eye. 

The  first  occasion  on  which  Chittec  Yoholo  was  enj^aifed,  was 
when  General  CJaines  was  surrounded  by  the  Seininoh's  ;  lie  was 
one  of  the  hostile  |)arty,  and  declares  that  In;  foni,'ht  hard,  and  tried 
his  best  to  kill  the  white  men.  Sikiu  after,  he  was  en^ant-d  in 
another  fi<{ht,  in  which  he  killed  a  white  man,  ami  takiiit,'  the  scidp. 
he  carried  it  to  the  council-house  of  his  tril)e,  ami  tlirew  it  at  the 
feet  of  an  ai^ed  warrior — thus  invokini^  the  approbation  of  one  ulio 
was  experienced  in  the  wiles  and  dani^ers  of  warfare.  'The  men  of 
the  villa<fe  assembled,  danced  all  ni<fht,  recounted  their  recent  ad- 
ventures, especially  that  which  they  were  now  celeljratinir,  and, 
instead  of  honorinff  the  lion  of  the  occasion  with  a  toast,  and  reipiir- 
int^  a  speech  in  return,  as  we  should  liavc  done,  they  jrave  him  a 
new  ufiine,  Chewa.sti  Emathla — Einathla  meanini;,  iiixt  to  the  mir- 
rior,  and  Chewasti  l)einif  a  kind  of  surname,  thrown  in  for 
cu|)honv.  After  that,  he  killed  and  scalped  another  white  man,  car- 
ried in  the  bloody  tro|)hy,  and  ai^ain  the  warriors  danced  in  honor 
of  his  success;  and  now  they  calleil  him  Olocta  'I'u.scanc!  Hadja, 
which  means,  Tfir  hint  ciiizij  warrior;  and  again,  on  brinufinir  in 
another  .scalp,  they  danced  round  it  all  niifht,  and  called  him  Olocta 
Tustennuift^e,  The  blue  warrior.  All  these  were  stealthy  feats 
jM-rformed  in  the  niijht.  The  Indians  rey;ard  such  with  peculiar 
tfratification,  from  the  hi<fh  estimate  which  they  |)lace  on  achieve- 
ii'eats  conducted  with  cunning,  and  won  without  exposure.    He  was 


7fl 


cinrTiii:  yuholo. 


coristantlv  out,  and  iisii:illy  witlioiit  c-oinpaiiioiis,  stt^aliii^  iipoii  tlio 
slccpiiiu  imniitt's  of  t'  e  niliiii,  or  wayli'  in;'  \\w  strairyflcr  in  tlic 
Idlest  ;  Ml  tliat  \\v  may  inl't-r  tlial  tlie  SnuliC  that  iiuihcs  a  hoi.m ,  likti 
the  rcptih;  w liosc  iiaiiiu  lie  bears,  crouched  in  .silence  until  tim 
iiiniiiciit  wlicii  he  was  aliout  to  spring,'  upon  his  prey. 

lie  was  lyiny  in  the  coverts  around  Fort  Mellon,  while  Paddy 
Parr  was  there  with  the  friendly  Indians,  of  whom  he  counted  one 
hundrtd  and  twenty,  as  he  y;a/.('d  ;it  them  from  his  lurkin'^-|ilace. 
.Alter  he  had  watched  a  whole  niyht,  he  joined  an  a.ssailin<,'  party 
of  ids  people,  who  I'ireil  upon  the  fort  in  the  morning,  and  of  whom 
ten  Wire  killed;  luM'eceived  a  spent  hall   in   his  hand,  and   hein^ 


una 


hie  t< 


)  mana're  his  trun,  retiree 


I.     II 


e  wiis  in  a 


hattl 


e   wi 


th   tl 


10 


came  ay^ain,  and  a  skirmish  ensued.     Aceo  Yoholo  was  present 


Tennessee  volunteers,  in  which  three  SeminoleH  were  killed, 
whose  iKxlies  were  drjiittred  to  the  nearest  ishes  and  hidden,  as 
there  was  not  time  to  iniry  or  to  caVry  them  oil".  lie  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Wahoo  Swamp,  where  the  Indians  lost  two  war- 
riors, and   killed  several  of  the  whites.     The  iie.xt  day  the  whites 

in 

all  the.se  lii.dits.  On  one  occasion  Chiltee  Yoholo  drove  oil"  a  hun- 
dred cattle  tiom  the  settlements  of  the  white  people;  and  he  ti'lls 
of  various  other  battles  that  he  was  engaged  in,  in  addition  to  those 
we  ha\c  mentioned. 

Having  stated  tliiit  he  had  seen  and  recognized  Jim  Boy  at  the 
head  of  the  Indians  friendly  to  the  whites,  he  was  a.sked  why  he 
liad  not  kilird  tliat  chief,  whnsi;  unusuid  height  made  liiui  a  consjii- 
cuoiis  object.  1I(!  replied  that  it  was  not  the  will  of  the  (ircat  Spirit ; 
and  added  that  he  h.id  been  in  many  battles,  and  not  having  lost 
his  lile,  he  concluded  he  should  die  of  sickness,  and  lu;  supposetl 
tliat  .liiii  Moy  would  die  in  the  sain«!  way.  The  allusion  to  the 
latter  was  made  in  consccpience  of  his  being  pre.si'Ut  at  tills  con- 
vcrs:ition. 

.M'ltr  llie  adventures  related,  and  many  others,  this  ciiicf  listened 
to  tile  overliiicsof  the  Creek  Indians,  who  invited  hiiii  to  a.  .uiu.  d, 


I1IU(JUA1»1IY. 


77 


and  i^avo  liiiii,  as  hv  I'xjtre.sHcs  it,  a  gotxl  lulk.  lie  aocompanird 
lliciii  to  St.  ,\M<,MistiMc,  if  ,i|  ^r;iv(i  liiiiiscH'  up  to  llio  oointiiaiuliiii,' 
olliccr,  by  whom  lio  was  kindly  treated.  Ho  lius  a  wife  and  tvvi) 
( iiildren  in  Arkan.siiH. 


MONKATSIIKA. 


This  portrait  reprosonts  a  yoiniii:  "i^ni  of  tlic  Yankton  triltc,  of  tlie 
Sioux  nation,  wlio,  l»iit  a  I'cw  years  a'jo,  ori'ii|iii(|  an  ()l)S(nn'  and 
nuMiial  rank.  'Plio  distinction  ol^radc  seems  to  lie  a  law  of  iininan 
nature,  and  occurs  to  some  extent  even  in  tlie  least  artificial  state  of 


soiietv.     It  is  ohservalilc  arnnnu;  all  tlie  Indian  trili 


Tl 


le  sons  o 


f 


cliiefs  and  distinuiiislie<l  warriors  stand  aloof  from  menial  employ- 
ments, and  are  early  trained  to  the  exercises  of  war  ami  liuiitiiiLr, 
wliile  tlie  otIs|>rin'j;  of  inilolent  or  inelTicieiit  men  receive  less  con- 
sideration, and  are  ajit  to  be  thrown  into  dei^'radint;  ollices.     Hut  iu 


eiliier  case 


tl 


le  iniliviini; 


on 


arriviny  at   matnritv,  liecr)mes  tlit 


arliticer  of  his  own  lorluiie,  liecause,  in  a  state  ol  existence,  sur- 
rounded liv  daiiifer  and  vicissituile,  where  lioldness,  cunnings  and 
physical  ipialities  are  coiitimially  called  into  action,  he  must  rise  or 
sink,  ill  the  |)roportioii  that  he  displays  the  |)osscssinii  or  the  want 
of  those  qualities. 

Moiikauslika,  or  T/ie  'IW))if)/i/ii/  Efirf/i,  while  a  lio\,  was  employed 
as  a  co<ik.  horse  ifuard,  I'tc.,  and  had  not  met  with  any  opportiiiiitv 
to  distil  i>iii?h  himself,  until  near  about  the  time  when  he  arrived  at 
iiianhiHxl,  w  lien  he  juried  himself  into  notice  In  a  siunle  :i(l,  A 
small  parly  of  yoiinu  nicn  of  the  Yankton  tribe  fell  in  with  an 
equal  uwwxhvr  (A' roi/iu/ciirs,  wh:)  were  liaveliin^  throiii,di  the  prairies 


fr. 


im  Si    f.iiiis  to  some  tradim,^  cstaMishmeiil  in  tiic  interior  of  ihe 


Indian  country.     One  of  the  Yanklons  reipiested  permission  to  ride 
on  the  same  Imrse  with  oin-nf  the  whiles,  which  the  latter  declined 

(Vt-l 


IlldCIt  AI'll  V, 


as  Ills  li(>rsc  \v;is  nnicli  rali<_riic(I.  ami  tlir  jmiriu  \  uas  slill  (;ir  (ruiii 
liciiiif  fmislifd  'I'lic  lliiliaii,  liriiii,'  nllriiilcd,  rrM>|v('i|,  uilli  tlit; 
iM|M-iiiiiiis  rcsciiimciil  of  a  savairc,  to  take  ri'\riii_rc  ii|inii  the  (irst 
o|i|iin-|iiiiitv,  ami  slmrtly  aftir  slmt  an  armw  ihruiiLili  tlic  uiiU(r- 
liiiiatc  white  man.     'I'ln'  rcniaimlir  nf  the  party  (led  in  alarm,  and 


rt'Ui 


lu'd  tlic  Vaiditon  vm\\\>  tlic  next  day 


Wlicn   the   iHWs   of  tliis  mitraKr  reached  the   ^'ankt(l(l   villa 


;?•• 


Miinkaiishlsa,  tlmiiirli  a  mere  v'lith,  deelareil  hiinsrlt' tl 


le  aveliirer  i 


if 


the  white  man.  The  Indian  rnle  is,  that  the  nearest  relative  of  tho 
deceased  may  pnt  tiie  murderer  to  deith,  l)nt  he  must  do  it  at  his 
|ii  ril  If  there  he  no  relative  who  will  take  iip  llir  ipiarrel,  a  friend 
may  do  it  ;  and  in  this  instance,  whatever  may  have  lieen  the 
motive  of  the  yonni;  Indian,  the  act  was,  accord  in'.;;  to  their  notions, 
lii'_ddv  ifenerons,  as  he  took  up  tlie  cause  of  a  decea.sed  stranger, 
w  ithoul  the  prospect  of  reuanl,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  own  iill 


II. 


was,  however,  lanirhed  at  hy  his  companions,  w  ho  diil  not  vrive  him 
credit   for  tlie  couraj^e  necessary  to  carry  out   such  a  desiLrn,  and 


siipposec 


I  that 


le  was  only  imliduin'^  in  an  idle  iio.ast.     Hut  he  was 


in  earnest;  and,  haviny;  loaded  his  {.run,  he  tielilieratciy  walkid  up 
to  the  oflender,  when  lie  entered  the  villai{e,  ami  shot  him  dead. 

Tho  im|tunity  w  ith  which  such  an  act  mi<„dit  l)e  done,  would  do 
|iend  much  on  the  maimer  of  its  execution.  Had  not  the  most  do 
lermiiied  intrc|)idity  lieen  dis|)layed  throu<jfhout  the  whole  |irocecd 
in<^^  it  is  prohal)le  that  the  deed  would  have  iieeii  |)rc\eiilcd,  ot 
avciiifcd.  Although  done  under  color  of  an  acknow  ledt^ed  usaufc,  it 
was  not  rtMjuircd   hy  the    Indian   ruh\  ami   mi'^ht   have   heeii  con- 


sidered   an  c.vci  ption  to  it. 


'I" 


injured    parly  was  a  stranifer. 


and  there  was  no  tie  of  consaiii,Miinity  or  friemlshi|)  wiiii-h  aiithur- 
i/.e(I  Monkaiishka  to  claim  tln^  oil'icc^  of  his  avcn''er.     It  miirlit  (  veii 


h 


ve  heen  an  odion.s  act  to  volunteer  on  such  an  occasio 


It    IS 


most  likely  that  a  latent  spirit  that  hatl  heen  suppressed  l»y  the  cii- 
cumslances  under  which  lie  had  }j;rown  up,  was  glowiiiL^  within 
iiim,  and  that  he  irrasped  at  an  ojiportunity,  thus  fortuitou.sly  pro 


80 


M  ()  N  K  A  r  S  n  K  A  . 


sciitcd,  1(1  Pinimcipalo  liiiiisclf  iVotii  his  Imiiililc  coiidilion.  Tho 
ui'cusion  would  muiiiiucnd  itsflf  to  a  mind  thus  situatid,  liy  its 
iHiviltv,  and  Wduhl  niukc  a  jficatcr  im|)ii'ssi()ii  than  a  rdiuuKHi-iilaoc 
achifvciiu'iit,  which  rciiuinil  only  im  ordinary  I'fl'orl  of  courage.  If 
suili  was  the  n-axoniiiju;  ol  Moukaiisldui,  it  showed  a  sagacity  ciiuul 
I.I  liis  spirit ;  aud  tliat  it  was,  is  rnidcrofl  probahlo  l>y  the  succt'ssCr'. 
t'vont  of  thi'  atlair.  He  rose  inuucdiatcly  to  dislinclioii,  and,  liaviny 
since  shown  himself  i  i^immI  w.uTJor,  was,  altliout;h  a  verv  younuf 
man,  I'lie  ot"  tiie  (diii  I"  prrson.-'  in  Ids  trilic.  and  was  smt  to  Uashiuu- 
ton,  ii:  ls:JT,  as  one  of  their  (h'!ei;ates.  Dnrini;  thiir  slay  in  Wash- 
injjtnn.  Monkaiishka  hecanie  sick,  lie  was  sutlerinu  under  tlie  in- 
flinnee  of  fever  when  lie  Mit  for  his  piirtrait — hut  rocoviTinj,'  a  litth-, 
h<>  v'tas  supposeil  able  to  proceed  with  the  deleijratiun  on  their  tour 
to  the  Kasl.  On  arrivintj  at  Haltimore,  however,  it  was  foiuid  im- 
jiractiealile  ,  tr  him  to  proceed  l"urtln'r.  lie  \vas  left  in  eharife  of  a 
faithful  interpreter,  and,  .-dthouufh  surroiinded  hy  nil  tliat  was  ro- 
(piired  fur  his  eoud'ort,  he  j,'ra(hially  sunk  under  his  i.isoase,  and, 
nftor  a  fi'w  days  of  sidl'erin^',  dioil. 


r~ 


M  All  ASK  All 


MaIIAskmi.  fir  While  Cloud,  tlir  rider,  was  tl  e  sun  of  \\\w\ 


law- 


hiMH'liei  ,  (II 


L'iiw.  nr  tlie  \\  iiiiinliiiLt  Ariow,  wjiii  was  |iriiiei|i:il  rliicf  of  ilic  I'au- 
|iieriril-iii>si'  intKiii  ol'  Indians.  Maiiliaw  liau  eiiiiiiraled, 
some  liiindred  am!  lil'lv  \i-ir>  a'jo,  rrum  Mieiiillimaeinac  to  the  west 
liaiik  ol  till  liiM.av  river,  iiid  Miei  IimI  .a  |inMUoii  mar  lis  niuiiili, 
u  liere  III*  liaii  i  kindled  tlieir  liies  and  .siinikid  llieir  |ii|ies  to  tin' 
("Jrcat  S)Mnt  Tlie  name  iriM-n  tn  tlii.s  river,  liv  M.mliaviL'iiw,  \*as 
N'folioncv .  or  the  Masli'r  of  Kivers       llaviiiLT   Imilt   liis  villai'e,  lie 


as  yreeted  uilli  a  .salnlaiion   I'roin   the  Sioiix. 


|ii|)e  wa.s  sent 


ri  iiiin  liv  that  Irihe.  u  iih  an  invilutioit  to  a  dot;  least,  made  in  honor 

e|ited  the  iiiMtatioii,  and    joined    in  thi* 
nisi  at  the  hast,  and,  no  dniil  t,  re|»osinj^  in  tiiti  most 


ol  the  ( ireat  ."siiirit        II*' 


eereinoii\ 


U 


|>erl<'et  heennty,  lie  \v;is  suddenly  attaeked  ;  liiif,  lhoiii(h  Mirjiri.sed, 
he  succeeded  in  killinif  one  man  and  three  uomeii,  liel'ore  he  vva« 
Niain     I'Imm  ontrai;!'  iipon  the  national  honor  has  never  heei,  lor'.nven. 


The  porirail  lielme  llie  reader  is  that  ol'  the  xni  lA    \lauh: 


i\\  Liaw, 


v\  iio  was  thii.s  tn  aeheroiisly  slain.      'The   lowiivs,  mdiirnaiit  at  the 


eondnet   ol    thi 


Moiiv,   re.so 


I  veil 


imedialely    oil    reveMl^t'. 


lev 


raiseil  a  \sar  |iariv.  Of  this  jiartv,  the  sin,  Mahaskah.  was  the 
letiitimate  ehiel  ;  lint,  heiiit;  vonni.^  mid  having  never  dislini,Miislird 
himselt'  in  hattle,  he  deelined  taking  the  'iiininan<l,  lint,  liv  virtue  of 
Ills  riulit.  he  eonli'i'i'i'd  ii|Min  a  distintrtiislK'd  ami  tried  warrior  tlie 
aiitlioril\'  to  It  ad  Ins  warriors  a'jaiiisl  the  Siuiiv — statiiiLT,  at  liic 
tune,  that  he  would  ai  <  iini|ian\  liie  i'\|iedilion  as  a  eoinmon  soldier, 


II 


(Cl) 


IlKKIH  Vf'IIV. 


and  litrlil  till  he  sIkhiIiI  :i(i|niic  »\|Mririi<-r,  iiiui  iraiii  tropliirs  enough 

1(1  Sl-run-  In  llini  tin-  <nnrnlillcc  of  llis  |irn|i|c.  Ali:illL;r|ii(  Ills  ln'inj; 
made,  till'  |i:M't\  niaK'lii'il  inlntlir  Simix  ctnMiln ,  ami  ^:iiiiril  a 'jnal. 
victin'v,  taking    ten  ci|   tlir  ctifinv's  M'al|is.      'I'lic   mmihi,'   Malia>>l\ali 


hrodulit  I 


ininr,  III    Ills 


n\\  l;    liailcl.  till'    sialli   ot    llir    Siniix    i-liiif.  in 


Whose  liii 


lue  tlic  lili-  'it    liis  latin  r  lliid   hern  sn  lli  ;ii|ie|nnsl\    takrii. 

Iluvinu  til  IIS  show  n  IniiiseH'  a  liraxe,  lie  assi  lined  (lie  eon  una  nd  nf 

Ills  waninrs  and  ot   ins  Irilie       Ills  \Nar  adveiitiires  were  niiineioiis 

and  dariiiu'.      lie  uas  in  eiLililecniiMtlles  auaiiist  \ariiiiis  lianils,  and 

was  never  delealed.      In  mie  til    his  ex|iedili(ins  against  the    Osajfes, 

llii'ts  wi'iT  inaiiv,  lie  arnveil  on  tlie  imrtli    liaiik 


wi 


th  \\\\ 


lom    Ins  cull 


ol  llie  Missol  II,  and  \  a-  there,  and  enuau'ed  in  tivino  in  slop  an 
ctViisioii  III  ii  nod  Ironi  lii.s  nose,  he  es|iied  a  caiiiie  deseeiidiiiii  tint 
ri\er.  III  will  -h  ueie  ihree  [•'renehmell.  \\  isliiiiir  to  cross  over  with 
his  {larlN.  I<e  c:dled  iijioii  the  {''reiichinen  to  |;ind  and  assist  liiin. 
The     I'l'eli    liniell    hot    olil\     refused,    lull    tir<'d    lljloll    the     Indians, 


uaiiindiiiL'   one  <>{'  \\  ini     ('|iiti<rs  lir.i\< 


The  lire  was  instantly 


returned,  \\liicli  kilh  i|  one  oj  t'.ie  I'leiichnM  n.  \\  hiti  (  loud  had, 
(Ml  jar,  taKeii  no  part  in  this  liltle  allair,  Itut,  on  seeini;  one  of  his 
braves  v  ouiided,  he  called  for  his  unn,  savinti — "  ^'oii  have  killed 
niie  of  I  le  rascals,  I'll  Irv  if  !  cannot  send  another  aloiit;  with  hitii 
to  Iveep  iiin  ciinip:ui\ 
Illack  Spirit 


to   ill,      Cfi, 


-( 'hee  nil   Ml-  the   hmisi-  ol'  ihi' 


j\i*  iisn.il.  till-  w  hites  raised  a  itreat  elainor  aifaiiixl  '.he  lowavM, 
triviiitr  out,  all  .ilnnu  lln  horders,  that  ihev  v.  re  killiiiii  lln-  si  Itlern 
A  parly  was  raised  and  armed,  and  inanlied  (orllnulli  i- licM 
Maliaskah  and  Ills  w.irriors.  'i'liey  w  ire  overtaken  W  hit<  I  jiiml, 
not  siispi  cliiiL'  till  ir  designs,  and  In  in^'  cuiiscin  i.  i>|  hiiNJutjf  c</^„ 
nulled    no  \  ii'lenci  .  w;is  iiipiured,  and    ihriisl  iiitn  prison,  \\liii. 

made  his  rKcape,  and  sue* 


reniained    inaiiN'    months. 


le    liii;ill\ 


eceded   in   reaehino    his  own  cminlrv   in  s:ifi|\.      Fie  then   i 


n  irriei 


fhut    wi\es.      It    IS    the    cii-'lmii    of   the    Inlf.    when    hiisliaii'is   of 
hrnthcrs  fall   in  liillle,  liir  :i   iirave  in  adopt   tin  ir  wives  or  sisierH 


MA  II  ASK  AH 


88 


VVliilc  Clniid  ruiiiiil,  on  lii.s  ifliiiii,  four  sisirrs  win.  Iiail   Imch  tliiiH 
(li'|iiiM'(l   uC  ilicir  |)roltilor,    all   of  wlioiii   lie   iiiairit'il.      Ol    llii'sc, 


Uiiiili'lnuaiiiM',  or  tlir   i'l-iiialf    l-'iviiiir   I'iifroii,  was  one,  and   tli 


ill 


yoiHiycst.     Hit  line  iiki'nrss,  willi  a  sKctcli  ul   her  iMiararIrr,  wi 
NU<  I't'iii  tliiM  narraliMv 

Dill  II,  al'trr  \\  liitc  (  IoikI  had  llms  siMtli-d  liiniscif,  wax  lio  known 
1o  t':t|iit'.s.s  liis  ri'ijri't  at  lia\ini.r  piiiiiilttd  liis  warriors  to  lirr  n|ioii 
till'  l''rciii'linitMi.  ( )ii  llit'Si'  Ol  rasioiiH  lie  liaK  lictii  simmi  to  IihiU  ii|io|i 
his  liuiid,  and  liiMrd  In  inultrr  lo  liiiiisfif — "  Tliorr  is  IiIinnI  on  it  " 
ill  till'  ri'ili'itioii,  thai  111'  h;ul  ni\rr  shid  thr 
Ami  M't  liis  falhor  >  drath.  and  thr  niaiinrr 


il 


•  '  ri'|oi(Til,  |io\\i'\ rr 


.l;n  A 


iiiiriiMii 


ol    II.  inadr  him  rrstlcsN,  and   rciidt'ri'd   liini   ini|ilai-ahh-  a<^niiiist  tli 
|ii'r|>i'trat<>rs  of  tliat  oiitratrc,  and   their  allii 


Not  hmii  al'trr  his 
csrapi'  Iroin  prison,  and  nMnrn  to  Ins  hoiiir,  an<i  soon  altrr  Ins  uiar- 
riii)r«>,  lit*  piiinni'i  an  fxpcditioii  against  tlw  ()sa;irs  ||r  nsohid 
lo  mar 'h  witli  a  hcIitI  |iart\  of  ti>n  hraM-f.  to  thr  i.ittlr  Osaifo  plains, 
u'hii'h  iii-  sonth  of  th*-  Mis»oiiri  river,  and  ahont  two  hundred  and 
lil'lv  miles  aliove  St  Louis.  Arrivinu[  at  the  plains,  a  tavorahle 
op|)orlnnitv  sim)|i  oll'ered,  whirh  was  sei/.ed  !iy  .Mnhaskah,  and  the 
battle  i-oiMineiH-i'd.  il  wax  his  nMslortuiie,  early  in  tin  i-onllu-t.  to 
rei-eive  a  rille  liall  in  his  le^,  just  al»ove  the  ankir  lie  had  siir- 
eeeiled,  however,  hefoie  he  was  wounded,  in  Mikini.'  three  ol  the 
eiKMiiv's  scalpH,  wIkmi  ho  Nouuht  a  retreat,  and  loMnd  one  under  a 
laroe  loy  that  lav  aeross  a  w.ater-eoiirse  The  ( )s.itres  liiHowed 
elo.se  upon  him — heinj,'  yiiided  hy  the  lilood  tiiat  llowed  Iroin  his 
uoiiiid;  hul  ilioy  lost  the  trail  on  arriving'  at  the  water-cMnirse,  tor 
.Mahiiskah  had  takeii  the  preeaution  to  step  into  tlie  water  some  dis- 
lanee  hdow  llie  lo^,  hv  whirh  'tralaiiein  he  misled  his  pursuers,  lor 
ihev  supposed  he  had  eros.sed  over  at  the  plaee  where  tlie\  IiinI 
saw  hlood       He  remained   under  the  loif,  whii'li   lav  on   the  w.iVer, 


with  just  so  niueh  of  his  iio.se  out  as  to  eiia 


hie  I 


iim  to  lireathi 


In  the  ni^dit,  when  all  wan  sileiiee,  save  the  tinklim:  o|   the  lielU 
lit   the   Indian  horses  in  the  plains  helo^^,  Mahask  di   ii  It   his   jiiacr 


84 


in(»(;i{.\i>iiY. 


of  (•(iticcaliiKMit,  iiiid  ciiiiiiiii;  up  witli  oiu;  (if  tlic  li(irs(>s,  moiuited 
liiiii  :iii(l  tiiiidc  oil'  ill  llic  ilirccliuii  ol'  liis  Ikuim',  wliirli  \\;is  im  tin; 
livrr  Dcs  Moiiirs.  .\iii\  iiiy:  al  tlii'  Missoiiii,  lie  nsnrlcd  to  tin- 
liiiliaii   iikmIc  (if  crossiiiir,   wliicli    is,  tn  lie   oiio  cml  of  tlic    lialtrr 


ai'oi  IK 


!  th 


III 


■rk    III    lli('    linrsr.  and,  takiii!,;    the   dllirr  end 


lirtwt'cii  liis  tft'tli,  lif  drives  till' aiiiiii:;!  into  till'  \\  ater,  and  iiiiitis 
liJH  uwii  <'X(  rtimis,  as  ;\  ssvimnirr.  to  llmsi'  ol'  tlir  Imrsc,  and  is  liy 
tliis  int-ans  carried  over  in  safety.  In  all  tliese  dillienlties  lie  tonk 
rare  not  In  |rirt  v\itli  eitlier  liis  !.Min  or  his  scalps.  )n  arriving  at 
lioine  lie   paiacled    liis  trnpliies,  and   ludered    the   scalp  dance   In    lie 


ilancei 


I        .\..l 


lielll 


•  I.I. 


on    acciinnt    of  his    wniind.  In   lead    the 


dance  himself,  he  placed  the  .scalps  ii'  the  hand  of  luthehi.ne,  i.r  the 
HliT  Axe,  will..  I.t  ini:  the  first  I. rave  of  his  liaml,  was  eiilitlerl  to  tho 


distinction. 


.Mi 


diaskah  accoin|ianied  the  presentation  of  the  sea 


)S 


to   nil     Axe  with  these  words: 


I   I 


lave  now  revenuid   the  (h-alh 


if  iiiv  father. 


M 


\   heart   IS  at  n  st. 


w  ill  ijn  to  w  ar  no  more 


I 


lui. 


M 


nisliitcliee: 


|{id  Head,  (ineaniiiL'  <  General  Clark,)  when  I 


was  last  al    Si. 


,oills, 


that   I 


would  lake  his   peace   lai 


M 


IS  Olll 


w  ill  iiirhl  nil  iiiorc 


In  the  \  1  ar  I "'.'  I,  Mahaskali  left  linine,  lieinti  one  of  a  pa'U  on  an 
oiahassv  to  W  ashiiii;toii,  lea\  iiit;  his  w  i\i>s  heliind  him,  their  niiinher 


laviim  iiicicased  to  seven 


W 


hii  aliiiiil   mic  liiiiidi'ed    iiiiii  s  from 


linine,  and  near  the  inoiitli  ol  the  river  Des  Moines,  haviiiu  killtd  a 
deer,  he  ^!llppe(l  to  co,  k  U  piece  of  it.  lie  was  seated,  aiui  had  Jilsl 
eoini'iem fit  his  meal,  when  he  felt    himself  snddeiilv  struck  on  the 


1. 


'i'nriiiii<^   rmind,    he   was  astonished  In  see    Uanti  I 


lewaiine 


stiiiidiiii:;  hefiire  him  with  an  nplifled  lomaiiawk  in  her  hand. 


til. IS  accosted    him — "  .\m    1 


\nnr   wile 


.\ri'   villi   niv   liiisliaiid. 


!i  sii,  1  will  no  with  yon  tn  llie  Maw  iiehnniieclic.  (nr  the  .\mi  man 
hiti  house,)  and  see  and  shake  the  hand  of  Ineohiuice,"  which 
means  i^rreat  father.  .Mahaskah  answered — "  ^"es,  von  are  inv  wife; 
i  am  voiir  hnshaiid;   I  have  heen  a  lonj.  time  Iniin  von      '  '    ' 


am 


au 


M  A  11 A  S  K  A  H . 


8S 


to  sec  you;  you  iirr  inv  |ii(ttv  wilt 
to  sec  ;i  pretty  wdiiihii." 


iiiiil 


;i  Iiriivc  iiinti  rilwavs  \n\rn 


'I'lii-    i»;irtv   iinivrd   at    \V':isliin<rto:i      "A    t;il 


was   held 


wi 


ih 


I'll  .siili'iit  MohiMc  ;  tlic  iiiTsciit  of  i>  iMcdal  was  made  to  Maliaskali, 
and  a  trcaly  was  i-Diichiclcd  liclwj'.'ii  tlic  I'uilcd  Stales  and  \\\^^ 
liiwavs.  Il  was  a  treat*  of  eessioii,  of  limits,  Sec,  and  of  eousidera- 
tioiis  therefor.  These  eoiisicien.lious  iiielude  a  pavineiit,  in  that 
year,  of  five;  hundred  dollars,  and  the  sunw  sum  annually,  for 
ten  year>  iherealter  Provision  is  made  for  lilaid\ets,  farminiif 
utensds 


mil 


altle;  and  assistanee  is  pronuserl  liicni  in  tliea 
lifrieullural  j)ursuits,  under  such  forms  as  the  |'re>idtnl  mi^^ht 
li'cni  expedient. 


'The  ('ollowini,'   oeeiM'reiifo  hap| 


visit. 


M; 


lened  at  W  a.sliin>_'loii  dnriiiLT  that 
I. 


iliaskaii  would  oecHsionailv  iii(r..ij;o  ui  a   loo  tree  use  ol 


irdent  spirits.     On  one  o|  these  o/easions  he  was  exereisini^  one  ,if 


III  Inilian  liusliaii'l  s  pnvileLi<'s  on 


the  !•• 


\iiiii   riLieon. 


lie  aij( 


ut, 


iiearinj":  the  sciiine,  hastened  to  thei 


r  room. 


.M 


iiiasKan,  liearin<r 


him  eomiiiif,  lifted  up  tin!  window  sash  and  stepped  out,  fortietliiisx 
that  he  was  two  stories  from  tlie  onnind.  In  tlie  fall  he  Imike  hi.s 
arm  ;  yet  so  aeeustomeil  had  he  iiem  to  iVaetnres  and  wounds,  that 
lie  insisted  on  ridinjf  the  iie\t  da\ ,  oxer  roimh  roads  and  paxeimnls, 
a  distanei!  of  at  least  two  miles,  to  see  a  eaniion  east.  .\  liu  .laVH 
after,  li(!  sat  to  Kintr.  of  Washiimton,  for  his  |)orlrail,  'The  reader 
will  remark  a  eouipression  of  his  evclirows.  This  was  eauseil  liv 
the  pain  ho  was  ciuluring  whilst  the  arlist  was  ><keli'litMg  lii.s 
likeness. 

On  his  ntiini  to  his  roimtrv  and  home.  Mahaskah  heyan  iu 
earnest  to  eultivato  I'.is  laml — he  hiiilt  for  himself  a  doiiltle  lo^ 
house,  anil  lived  in  liicat  comfort.  This  lie  said,  «as  in  oiicdieiieo 
lo  tiio  advice  oi'  his  t:reat  father 


•iooii  after  his  return  to  his  home,  it  was  his  misforliine  I 


o  lose  Ills 


favorite    uife,  and    under   vcrv  piinful   eiriuni.vl:iiiies.      Tlnv  were 
cro.ssing  a  traet  of  eounlry,     Mahaskah,  having  rea.son  lo  api»reh«*iMl 


86 


UKHiKAI'liy, 


licit  hostile  biiiuls  liiiiiiil  lir  imt  uitli.  I\i'|ii  in  ailvaiicf.  Ilai-ii  wuh 
on  ln:!Nrl»;»i'k  :  llic  I'Uiiii;  I'lyrnii  i- iii\  iiilj  lnr  i'IiiM,  Maliiskiili  tlm 
3'oiiii<4('r,  tlicii  aliDiit  tiiiii'  vrai's  mM.  'I'm  iiiiij.  .il  a  iii'laiii  |iiiinl,  to 
look  l)ark  to  MM'  wlial distaiicf  Ins  wit'c  was  iVoiii  lii-n,  iu'  was  siir- 
iirisccl,  Ills  |Misitiiiii  i)i>iiiir  a  lii'^li  niii',  I'lialilirii;  liiiii  In  nvt'ili'iik  a 
roiisidiTuiilf  iMi'ht  III'  ciiiiiilry,  iml  In  sec  her.  Ilr  inili  liaik.  ami, 
Had  to  rclatr,  alli'i"  icliai'iii^  Ins  steps  smiie  live  or  six  miles,  he  saw 
lier  liorse  iria/iiiLl  m-ar  llie  trail,  ami  |ireseiitlv  the  lioi|\  of  his  wile, 
near  llie  eil'je  iil'  a  siiiall  |m ciii'iii',  willi  her  eliiM  reslmu^  Its  head 
ii|inii  her  Iiih1\  The  iiorror-siriekeii  ehiel',  alinhlinu  near  to  the 
sjMil,  was  sonii  assui,  'i  ii|  ht-r  ihatli  !  St:iiiiiiMu  "Vcr  Ik  r  enrpsc,  he 
exelaiiiied,  in  his  innlhei  loimne,  "  \\  au-<'iiiii!a-iiienia-lii'atiiskuiinee, 
shiiiii;au-menia-nan'_M-iii'|)|>o !  ' — w  hieh  hi  iii<^  interpreted,  means — 


( iod  AliniLihtv  !    I  am  a  itad  in 


(III  are  aiinrv  with  mt 


IK) 


hors 


kill. 


niv  sipiavv 


Al  III 


<    iniiiiient,  the  child    lilted    its 


head    rnun   ihe  dead    Iti'dy  of  its    mother,  and    said — "  l''alher,   my 
iiiollnr  is  aslee|i  !  " 

'I'Ih'  inreniiec  uav,  that  tin:  horso  had  stiimhied  and  thrown  her, 
'i'he  o(  iiirrenee  took  plaee  ahout  lour  da}s'  |otiriie\  from  his  home. 
Nlahaskah,  within  that  time,  was  seen  relnrnini;  to  his  lod^e,  liear- 
in<;  the  dead  hod\  of  Uantehewaime,  with  his  ehild  in  his  arms. 
lie  proi'i'rdeil  at  oiiee  In  dispose  ol'  the  I'orpse.  Mis  lirsl  hiisiiiess 
w.is  to  aather  loijellier  ail  llie  presenis  that  had  lieeii  madi  to  lier  at 


W: 


ishiniztoii ;  also  whatevn  else  iiclomriil  i4i  Im'T,  and  In  iilaer  ||, 


with  the    liodv,  111   a    nide    Ih).\  ;   aii>l    then,  aeeordiiK/   In  the  <'nslom 


ot    the    liiilians  nf  that    re'rjoii,  the    hox 


was   plaeeil    upon  a  lil){h 


Hcnilold.  This  iniNh>  ol'  disposinir  of  Ihr  di'iid  has  a  twnfnid  ohjeet 
—one  is,  to  elr\ate  the  hody  as  In^h  as  |M)ss|lile  iii  ihe  direilion  of 
the  liniin'  of  ihe  tJreal  Spirit;  thai  home  heiiiu,  aeeordinir  to  their 
lielief,  III  the  hUv  ;  thi  otiiei  .s  to  protei:!  llu'  corpse  iVoiii  he  wolves, 
whose  ravaif<'s  would  disfiLnire  it,  and  render  it  uiisitflitlv  in  the 
eyes  of  Ine  (ireat  Spinl.  This  mncli  ot  the  eeieinonv  over.  Ihe 
'  hief  killed  a  dog,  made  a  fea.<it,  uiiJ  ClilU'd   his  hraxii  together.      A 


MA  MASK  Ml 


87 


scrnml  ilou.  and  then  ii  lii»i>r  wcir  Killi  il  'I'lic  Aon  was  (asltiitd, 
with  Ills  lirail  iipuiti'ils,  III  till'  sralliiM.  wliilt'  llir  tail  iif  llir  liorNt' 
liaii  a  iMixitidii  asspjiifd  to  it  nn  tliat  jiait  nl'  tlic  scall'nlil  iirarrst  tlii> 
III  ail  i>r  llii'  (It'll  asnl.  (>ii  tlii'  lirail  nj  tlir  ilo^  was  |i|arri|  a  twist 
111'  liiliarro. 

'I'licsc  rcrriiioiiii's  Imvi'  tlicir  nriiriii  in  it  snptTslilion  nf  tlio 
iialimi,  wliii'li  altriliiitcs  t-vtrv  liratli  In  tlic  anu'tr  of  tlif  (iri'at 
S|iiiil.  will!  is  sii|i|iiistil  to  l)c  ajwavs  in  inotioii,  scarrliiii'j  lor  tlic 
s|»iiits  111  tliiisi'  w  111)  liavc  iri-i'iitiv  iliiil,  w  Itli  tlir  raliiiiu  t.  nr  |ii|K'  ut' 
pcai'i'  III  Ills  iiiiiiilh.      As  tlir   sivill'iilil    is   a|i|ii'ii'irliril    l)\    llif  iii\str- 


riii 


lis  lii'iiii^,  tli«'  walrlirni  linii   is  i'\|icrtr(l  to  sir  ami  aililn  s>  In 


111- 


111101111  liiiii  of  till-  locality  of  tlif  IiinIv.  ami  iiiMtc  liiin  to  take  tlin 
toiiai'i'ii.  ami  sinokr.  'I'liis  olli'i'  tlic  Imlian  liclicvcs  is  always 
aicc|itci!  'i'lif  (Ileal  S|iirit  linn  |iriiiirils  to  rcaiiiiiialc  and 
ri'iii'Mlcl  tlir  dead  IiihIn  ;  to  rotorc  tlic  trinkets  ami  |iro|)crl\'  of  tin- 
deceased;  iiii|iai'l  \italil\'  to  the  doy;  am!  the  horse,  and  eniiiniis- 
simi  llieiii.  rni'thuilh,  the  mie  to  hear  the  deceased  to  the  land  ol' 
ijanic  and  of  iilent\ — the  other,  to  Inint  the  deer  in  the  reijions  of 
till'  hlcssed. 


In  l"«MM,  the  son  of  a!i  low  a\  chiel'  of  iliMiintion,  i.iiMied  (  Vane, 
was  killed  li\  the  Oinalias.  \  partv  of  Io\v!i\>'  a[ipliid  to 
Maliaskall  to  head  tlicin  in  the  |iiirsllit  of  the  ellelnv.  lie  replied, 
"  I  have  Iniricd  the  tomahawk  ;  1  am  now  a  man  ol  peace."  lie 
added;  •'the  treatv  iiiide  with  oiir  ureal  father  provides  for  the 
piinishment  of  sncli  outrages."  'I'lie  partv,  however,  resolved  that 
the\  wniild  punish  the  airtjressors.  'I'liev  made  an  iiiciir»i'in  mtn 
the  eiieinv's  coniitrv,  and  rctiirned,  liniejini,'  with  tin  in  si\  M';dps 
The  ciistoinar\'  feast  was  prepared,  and  all  was  ncide  readv  'or  the 
scalp  dance  ;  liiil  Maliaskah  refused  to  pijt:ike  of  the  one,  or  par- 
ticipate in  the  other. 

The  iniirders,  on  liotli  sides,  haviii'j  liecli  repoi'teil  to  the  ^foVcrn- 
liii  lit,  (ieiierii  ( 'l:ill>  was  directed  |o  cause  the  liiwavs  to  lie 
arrested.      Thisdiilv  wasassijjned  to  their  ai^eiit,  (iciiera!  IIui.;lies 


88 


niOCU  AI'IIY. 


wlin  I'filli'il  nil  t1i(>  cliit  r,  M;tli;islv;ili,  In  whom  lie  iiiiulc  kiinuii  tlio 
(inlcr.  MiiliiisUali  iiiiswcnd.  "It  is  ritj;lil ;  I  uill  p)  willi  skp." 
Tlic  (iirciiilcis  wtrc  arn'sl('(l  .ind  (•onvcvt'd  to  I'dit  Lcavfiiwurtli. 
\\  liilc  I'diiriiii'd  lliii'i',  iiiif  ol  tlic  |ii'is()M(M°s  callnl  M;ili;iskiili  to  the 
w  iiidow  of  Ills  diin<^ri>ii,  and  looking;  liim  full  in  tlic  face,  said  ; 
"  Iiii-a,  (fatluT,)  if  I'vcr  I  ji[('l  out  of  this  place!  alive,  1  will  kill  von. 
A  liravc  man  should  never  he  ileprivid  of  his  lilierty,  and  coMtiiied 


as 


I 


am. 


^ 


nil  slionlil  liavc  s 


hot 


me  at  the  \illa<;e 


Infoi'tMnaleU  for  .Maha.skah.  that  Indian  siieeeeded  in  nialvini.r 
iiis  eseajM'  iVoiii  |ii'ls<ill.  lie  forthwith  went  III  |ilir.Nllit  o|  the  olijeet 
of  his  reNeiiLTe.  .Maliaskali  was  found  eiieainped  on  the  Nandaway, 
aliout  M\l\  miles  from  his  villai,^-.  His  pursuer  and  party  attacked 
iiiiii  with  'juiis,  tomahawks,  and  clubs,  and  slew  him.  After  lit; 
was  dead,  one  of  the  party  remarked,  that  "he  was  the  hardest  man 


to   kl 


II  1 


le  e\er    Knew  . 


This  was  in    l^.'U,  Mahaskah   hein^f  then 
alioiit  fit'tv  \ears  old. 

'I'he  tidinifx  "I  Mahaskah's  death  soon  readied  his  villaue.  Oin^ 
of  the  mmdereis  escaped,  and  sonyht  refuse  aiiiont,'  the  Ottoes;  Inil, 
on  learniiiu:  the  cause  of  his  visit  to  them,  tlie\-  shot  him  in  their 
camp,  'j'he  other,  with  the  utmost  iiiditrerence,  returned  to  the 
\illai:e  (i|  the  iiiui"dere(l  chief.  \'oiinLr  Mahaskah.  now  the  sik'- 
cessorof  his  father,  and  principal  chief  of  the  nation,  on  heariniithe 
news  ot'  his  tnthers  death,  and  that  one  o|'  the  murderers  had  re- 
turned to  the  village,  went  immediatelv  to  his  Imlue,  killed  hisdo^s 
and  hor.-it's,  and  w  ith  his  knife  cut  and  ripped  his  lodLre  in  everv 
possilile  direction.  This  last  act,  especiallv.  is  an  insult  to  which 
iio  lir.ivc  man  will  siilimit.  ilaviim-  hurled  thisdeliance  ;it  one  of 
tlie  murderers  of  his  father,  and  c.vpressed  his  eontempt  for  him 
nnder  every  possible  form,  he  turned  to  the  aj.sassin,  who  ha(i  ol)- 
served  in  silence  the  destruction  of  his  propert\',  and,  loo\in!f  liiin 
sternlv  in  the  face,  said — "  You  have  killed  the  jrreatest  man  who 
ev<  r  made  a  iiwu'casoii  track  on  tlio  Xaiulawav ;  vou  intist,  tliproforo, 
be  yourself  a  <rreat  man.  since  the  (Jrcat   Spirit  has  given  vou  the 


MAII  ASK  All. 


80 


victory.  'To  cidl  ymi  a  dni;  \mmiM  inaKc  rnv  liillicr  Irss  lliaii  a  do'/." 
'I'lic  sijiiavv  (ifllic  iimnlrnr  rxcjaitiinl  to  licr  liiishaiid,  "  W  livdoii't 
you  kill  tlic  lioy  .'"     Ill'  n  |iliid,  "  lie  is  iroiiii{  lo  i»c  a  irrcat  bnivo ; 

"*(;  sa\iii!.r,  lie  liaiidi'(l  tlic  \ciiiiiy;  rhicl"  u  Jiipf, 


laniio 


t  Kill 


iiiiii. 


■r  ti 


Id 


I 

wliirli  lie  n  liiscd,  sayiii[f,  "  I  will  Icavr  you  iii  tlic  liai 
leaves  ol"  itiy  nation."  Touliidi  llic  inllcxililc  murderer  replied, 
"  I  am  not  jroinif  to  run  away  ;  I'll  meet  yoiu"  liravcs  to-tnorrow." 
Tlic  Indian  knew-  full  well  llic  fate  that  awaited  liim  lie  felt  tliat 
liis  life  was  rorfcitcd,  and  nii'aul  lo  asMirc  llic  ydiiut;  cliicf  that  ho 
was  ready  to  pay  the  pcnallv. 
The  next  (lav  a  "'cncral  council  wa«  enlivened.     The  ease  was 


siiiimitted  to  it. 


'I'l 


le   unanimous  voii-e   was, 


ll< 


ill 


shall  llic 


It 


u.is  riirlhi'r  decreed,  thai  vouiiu:  Mahaskah  siicmld  kill  him;  liiil  lie 


declined,  sav  iiitf,  "  I   cannot   kill   so  liravc  a  mai 


diol 


i\  one  III'  llic  (11  iiii'ijial  lira\ es 


Mi 


;      wlurcupnii   III' 
l\   \^as  lill  nil  the 


ind,  to  lie  devoured   hv  wolves,  as  a  mark  "i  liie  iliN^ii.Nl  ol'  tin 


I  rill 


IIKl  o 


f  Ih 


ihl 


icir  alihorrcncc  o 


f  the 


assassin  o|  their  < 


hief. 


It  is  ctistoiiiarv  amoim  tlii>  [owavs,  and  the  iicit!hlioriii<4  Irih 


lor  the  wives  and  children  ol  the  deceased  In  mivi   a\^aveverv  lluii''' 


th 


w'liicji    hail 


1. 


d    h 


I   liiiii    ami 


his 


I'lmilv. 


Ins  iiislnm   was 


riiiidU'  adhered   loon  llii   occasion  ol    Mahaskah's  death.      His  siir- 


\ivin<f  srpiaws  went  into  mournint,'  ami  poverty.  I  he  inoiirnin;^  is 
kepi  up  for  six  moons,  and  consists,  in  addition  to  the  hlai  kiicj:  ot' 
the  face,  in  much  w;lllin;^^  and  in  the  ullerance  nf  lon^  and  melan- 
choly howls.     .\l  its  expiraliun,  the  Irilte  present  the  inonrners  with 


d  and  c|iiihiii<r,  imd  oilier  n 


eccssarics  n|  saxaiii 


hi; 


Ol 
,hicl 


Mil 


I  means. 


haskah's  widows,  liowe\er,  named  Missurahlarr.iliav 

llic  l''einale  Deer  that  lionnils  over  the  plains,  rcl'iLses  to  ihi.s  day  to 

lie   comforted,  savinir.  Ii<'r  husliaiid   "  was  a  j^rcat   hrave,  and   was 


Killi 


d  hv  dot^s" — mcanini.'.  low,  viiltrar  lellows. 


'I'll 


suojecl  o|   this   iiiciiiiiir  was  six    Icel   two   inches   in    heiLflil 


possessed   L,n"cat    hoiiiU    slrcnylh   and   actiulv,  and    was  a   man  of 
perlbct  symmetr\  of  persmi,  and  of  imcnmmon  heaiily. 


90 


H I  OCR  A  I'll  Y. 


'I'llr  loWilVH  were  oncf 


till'  iiidsl  iMiiiii'riiiis  ami  powiiliil,  iii'xl  ti» 


tlic   Sioii.N,  1)1"  all  tl.c  tnlits  that  limit  li.t wfciMlic   Minmsm|i|.i  ai 


<1 


M 


iMsoiin  riviTs. 


lu-v 


avc 


liccii   rt'iinrril   li\   \v 


ars,  liv  tlu'  Kinal 


|tii\,  and  by  whisky,  t«»  abtnit  lliirli'cn  hiiiidrcil  sduls. 


11ANTC11KWA1.MK 


This  poilrait  is  a  pcrfnrt  likeness  of  tlie  wife  of  Maliaskali,  n 
skeli'li  orwiio.-c  life  pieceilrs  tins.  Uaiilrlicw aiiiie  means,  l''rnialt 
I'Mvirii,'   Piireon.     She  lias  I n  also  call.il,   ilie  lieanliliil    I'eniali 


KaU'le  tliat   llies  in  the  air.     'I'l 


lis   name  was  i,ri\in    \i.  Inr   liv  the 


chiefs  and   lira\es  of  iIk    nation,  on  aiTunnl   of  1 
i)eaiitv, 


er   <STr;[\    pi'rson.'il 


We   have  alreadv,  in  the  sketch  of  lier  hnNl)an(l's  life,  made  ll 


10 


reail'T  ac(|nainti'(l  svitli  the  trairie  end  of  this  inlmstinLr  wninan.  It 
remains  fur  ns  to  sprak  of  her  eharacter.  (icneral  lliiiihi's,  the 
lejent  of  ilic  tribe,  ,vho  was  well  aecpiaiiited  with  her,  ^pe,•lk^  o|' lur 


HI  terms  ol   unmixed  aiiiiro 


hali 


She  was  chavte,  mild,  m-ntle  ii 


iier  dispo>ition,  kind,  ifenerons,  and  de\ol(d  to  her  Jiiishand.  A 
harsh  won!  wa.«-  never  kimwn  to  proceed  from  lier  month;  nor  was 
she  ever  known  to  he  in  a  passion.  Maliaskah  used  to  sav  of  her, 
alter  her  death,  that  her  hand  was  shut  when  timse  who  ('id  not 
want  cime  into  her  presence;  hut,  when  the  p{)or  came,  it  was  like 
a  strainer,  full  of  holes,  lettiii'^f  all  she  held  m  it  pass  throii;,di.  In 
the  (<vereise  of  this  ireiierous  feeliiiL,'  she  was  uniform.  It  was  not 
indeifted  for  its  e.xerei.se  to  whim,  or  caprice,  or  partialitv.  No 
niatt(<r  of  what  nation  the  applicant  for  her  hounly  was,  or  whether 
at  war  or  jieace  witii  her  trihe,  if  he  were  hunirry,  she  fed  him  ;  if 
naked,  she  clothed  him;  and  if  houseless,  she  j,'ave  him  sl>elter. 
Tlio  oontinual  <'Vireise  of  this  ijenerous  feelint,'  l<ept  her  poor.  Slio 
has  been  known  to  </\^v,  away  her  last   blanket — all   the  lioiiev  that 

(91) 


e>. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


t 
^ 


// 


^/ 


/J% 


% 


1.0 


I.I 


1^128     |2.5 

^  1^ 


» .,.  1^ 


2.0 


1.8 


11.25  ■  1.4   i  1.6 


vl 


^ 


/2 


v: 


o>^     \> 


7 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  |ii^»^N  STREET 

WtiMTER  MY    UiSO 

(7itO  372-4503 


<> 


6^ 


f>2 


BIOGRAPHY. 


was  in  the  lodge,  tlio  lust  bladder  of  l)ears'  oil, '  :iiid  the  last  piece 
of  dried  meat. 

Ilaiitchewuiiue  was  scrupulously  exact  iu  the  observance  of  all  ihc 
religious  rites  which  her  faith  imi)osed  ujion  her.  Her  couscienco 
is  represented  to  have  lieen  e.vtreniely  lender.  She  often  feared 
that  her  acts  were  disj)leasing  to  the  (ireat  Spirit,  when  slie  would 
blacken  her  face,  and  retire  to  some  lone  ])lace,  and  fist  and  |)ray. 
The  lowavs,  like  all  other  Indians,  Ix'lieve  in  a  CI  real  Spirit,  and  iu 
future  rewards  and  punishments  ;  and  their  priests  make  freipient 
sacrifices  of  dogs  and  horses,  to  apj)easi'  the  anger  of  tlu'ir  God. 
For  their  virtue,  which,  with  these  Indians,  ine;nis  courage,  kind- 
ness, honesty,  chastity,  and  generosity,  tliey  helieve  most  sincerely 
they  will  be  rewarded;  and,  for  bad  actions,  tliey  as  fully  I)elieve 
they  will  be  puni.shed.  Among  these  they  enumerate  dislionesty, 
laziness,  the  sacrifice  of  chastity,  &c.  But  they  do  not  view  the 
stealing  of  a  horse  in  the  light  of  a  dishonest  act — they  class  this 
among  their  virtues. 

Ilantchewaime  has  been  known,  after  her  return  from  Washing- 
ton, to  assen'ble  hundreds  of  tlie  females  of  her  trii)e,  and  iliscoursp 
to  them  on  the  suljjec  of  those  vicious  courses  which  .she  witnessed 
during  that  journey,  among  the  whites,  and  to  warn  them  against 
like  practices.  The  good  effect  of  such  a  nice  sense  of  propriety 
has  been  singularly  illustrated  among  the  loways.  It  is  reported, 
on  untpiestionable  authority,  that  an  illegitimate  child  has  never 
been  known  to  be  born  among  them.  It  is  true,  uncles  (parents  do 
not  interfere,  the  right  being  in  the  vincle,  or  the  nearest  relative) 
sometimes  sell  their  nieces  for  money  or  merchandise,  to  traders  and 
engagees.  Marriages  thus  contracted  frequently  produce  a  state  of 
great  connul)ial  happiness ;  but,  if  the  purchaser  abandon  his  pur- 
chase, she  is  discarded,  and  never  taken  for  a  wife  by  a  brave,  b  t 


*  Bears'  oil  is  kept  in  bladdors,  and  used  by  the  Indians  in  cookirijr,  for  the  same 
)iiirpogus  for  which  we  \ise  lard  or  butter. 


RANTCHEWAIME. 


93 


is  left  to  jjorfona  all  tho  drudgery  of  the  lodge  and  the  fie'd,  and  is 
treatetl  as  au  outcast. 

An  affecting  incident  occurred  in  1828,  on  the  Missouri.  A  con- 
nection, by  purchase,  had  been  formed  between  a  trader  and  an 
loway  maid.  They  lived  together  for  some  time,  and  had  issue, 
one  child.  The  trader,  as  is  often  tlie  case,  abandoned  his  wife  and 
child.  The  wife,  agitated  with  contending  emotions  of  love  and 
bereavement,  and  knowing  how  hard  would  be  her  fate,  strapped 
her  child  to  the  cradle,  and  throwing  it  on  her  back,  pursued  her 
faithless  husband.  She  came  within  sight  of  him,  but  he  eluded 
her.  Arriving  at  the  top  of  a  high  bluff  that  overlooked  the 
country,  and  after  straining  her  eyes  by  looking  in  every  direction 
to  catch  a  glimpse  of  him,  or  to  see  the  way  he  was  travelling,  in 
vain,  she  stepped  hastily  to  a  jjart  of  the  bluff  that  overhung  tlie 
Missouri,  and  exclaiming,  "  O  God !  all  that  I  loved  in  this  world 
has  passed  from  my  sight ;  my  hopes  are  all  at  an  end  ;  I  give 
myself  and  child  to  thee  !"  sprang  into  the  river,  and  with  her 
child  was  drowned. 

We  have  spoken  of  the  firm  belief  of  the  loways  in  a  future  state. 
What  that  state  is,  in  their  view  of  it,  we  will  now  briely  state. 
They  believe  that,  after  death,  and  after  they  are  found  by  the 
Great  Spirit — who,  as  we  have  said  in  a  preceding  sketch,  is  con- 
stantly going  about  with  a  pipe  of  peace  in  his  mouth,  seeking  the 
bodies  of  the  dead — they  are  guided  by  him  to  a  rapid  stream,  over 
which  always  lies  a  log  that  is  exceedingly  slippery.  Those  who 
are  destined  to  be  happy  are  sustained  by  the  Good  Sjiirit  in  cross- 
ing upon  this  slippery  log.  The  moment  they  reach  the  opposite 
shore,  they  are  transported  to  a  land  filled  with  buffalo  and  elk,  the 
antelope  and  beaver;  with  otters,  and  raccoons,  and  muskrats. 
Over  this  beautiful  land  the  sun  always  shines ;  the  streams  that 
irrigate  it  never  dry  up,  whilst  the  air  is  filled  with  fragrance,  and 
is  of  the  most  delightful  temperature.  The  kettles  are  always  slung, 
and  the  choicest  cuts  from  the  buffalo,  the  elk,  &c.,  are  always  in  a 


94 


BIOGRAPHY. 


slate  of  readiness  to  be  eaten,  whilst  the  smoke  of  these  viands 
ascends  for  ever  and  ever.  In  this  beautiful  and  happy  country, 
the  departed  good  meet,  and  mingle  with  their  ancestors  of  all 
])r('vious  time,  and  all  the  friends  that  preceded  them,  all  recog- 
nizing and  saluting  each  other. 

But  when  tlie  wicked  die,  they  are  guided  to  this  slippery  log, 
and  then  abandoned,  when  they  fall  into  the  stream,  and,  after  being 
whirled  about  in  many  directions,  they  awake  and  find  themselves 
upon  firm  ground,  but  in  the  midst  of  sterility,  of  poverty,  and  of 
desolation.  All  around  them  are  snakes,  lizards,  frogs,  and  grass- 
hoppers ;  and  there  is  no  fuel  to  kindle  a  fire.  This  barren  land  is 
in  full  view  of  the  beautiful  country,  and  of  all  its  deliglits,  whilst 
over  it  constantly  i)ass  tlie  odors  of  the  viands ;  but  from  a  j)artici- 
pation  in  any  thing  there,  they  are  for  ever  debarred. 

In  this  belief  Ruutchewaime  grew  up.  It  was  to  gain  admission 
into  this  heaven,  and  to  avoid  this  place  of  punishment,  she  .so  often 
went  into  retirement  to  pray;  and  all  her  virtues  and  good  worlds, 
s!k!  l)cliev('<l,  were  put  down  as  so  many  titles  to  this  beautiful 
licavcu.  Tliere  can  be  little  doubt,  that  a  mind  thus  formed,  and  a 
eonsciiiifc  thus  tiMider,  would,  uud(^r  tlie  guiiiaiiee  of  tlie  Christian 
fiiilii,  mill  llic  eiiligiiteniiig  iiillueiice  of  our  most  lioly  religion,  have 
ciuTJ'  <l  tlicir  ])Osscssor  to  the  highest  attainments,  and  made  her  a 
liri'ilit  ni'l  I  >;liiiiiii'i  liiilit.  It  is  impossible  to  contemplate  a  child 
of  II  itnii'  >o  uil'ti'd  ill  all  that  is  excellent,  without  feeling  a  regret 
tliat  till'  principles  of  a  more  rational  religion  had  not  reached  Rant- 
chewaii  ic,  and  that  she  had  not  participated  in  its  enjoyments.  But 
He  to  wlic.n  she  lias  none  will  know  how  to  judge  her.  Certain 
It  is,  of  those  to  whom  a  little  has  been  given,  but  little  will  be 
required ;  and  although  Rantchewaime  may  not  have  found  the 
heaven  she  aspired  to  reach,  she  has  found  one  far  more  delightful, 
and  as  eternal. 


YOUNG  MAIIASKAH. 


This  is  the  son  of  Mabaskah  the  elder  and  Rantchewaime.  On 
the  death  of  his  father,  young  Maliaskah  took  charge  of  his  family/ 
Inheriting  by  birth  the  title  and  prerogatives  of  chief,  it  was  sup- 
posed he  would  assume  the  authority  of  one ;  but  this  he  refused  to 
do,  saying,  he  would  not  occupy  the  place  of  his  Hither  unless 
called  to  that  station  by  a  majority  of  his  people.  This  decision 
being  made  known  to  the  nation,  a  general  council  was  called,  by 
which  he  was  elected  chief  without  a  dissenting  voice.  He  was 
then  in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  The  decision  of  the 
council  being  announced  to  him,  he  thus  addressed  it : — "  One  of 
my  sisters,  and  other  yoang  squaws,  have  been  taught  to  spin  and 
weave.  My  father  approved  this  and  encouraged  it.  He  also 
taught  the  lessons  of  peace,  and  counselled  me  not  to  go  to  war, 
except  in  my  own  defence.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  listen 
always  to  that  talk.  I  have  never  shed  blood  ;  have  never  taken  a 
scalp,  and  never  will,  unless  compelled  by  bad  men,  in  my  own 
defence,  and  for  the  protection  of  my  people.  I  believe  the  Great 
Spirit  is  always  angry  with  men  who  shed  innocent  blood.  I  will 
live  in  peace." 

This  talk  clearly  indicated  the  policy  he  had  resolved  to  pursue , 
and,  that  the  force  of  example  might  be  added  to  his  precept,  he 
immediately  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.     He  has  now  undei 
cultivation  about  sixteen  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  raises  corn 
pumpkins,   beans,   squashes,   potatoes,   &c.,   all   which    are    well 

(95) 


90 


BIOGRAPHY. 


attended,  and  cultivated  with  great  neatness — the  plough  b(;iug  the 
principal  instrument;  and  this  he  holds  in  his  own  hand.  Tlie 
surplus  [)roduce  he  distributes  with  groat  liberality  among  his 
people.  This,  and  his  father's  example,  have  had  a  most  beneficial 
effect  uf)on  his  tribe.  Mahaskah  not  only  follows,  thus  practically, 
tlie  rxainplo  set  by  his  father,  but  he  also  counsels  his  people,  on  all 
suitable  occasions,  to  abandon  war  and  the  chase,  and  look  to  the 
f;vound  for  their  support.  He  is,  literally,  the  monarch  of  his  tribe 
Xarcheninga,  or  No  Heart,  his  father's  brother,  acts  in  concert 
with,  and  sustains  lurn  nobly,  in  these  lessons  of  industry  and  peace. 
Youuii;  Mahaskah  considered  that  great  injustice  had  been  done 
by  the  United  States  government  lo  his  people,  in  faihng,  by  a 
total  disregard  of  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  of  1S25,  to  keep  off 
intruders  from  his  lands,  and  in  overlooking  the  obligations  of  that 
treaty  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, who  had  not  only  made  large  sales  of  the  mineral  regions 
about  what  are  called  Do  Buque's  mines,  witliout  consultinu"  the 
loways,  who,  by  the  treaty,  are  entitled  to  an  equal  portion  of  that 
country,  but  who  also  threatened,  in  their  talks,  to  advance  within 
the  limits  of  the  Grand  and  Des  Moines  rVers,  and  take  possession 
of  the  country.  In  view  of  these  things,  young  Maliaskah  called 
on  th(!  T'uited  States  agent,  and  made  known  his  grievances.  The 
aircnt  replici],  that  his  will  was  good  to  .see  justice  done  lo  the 
loways,  l)ut  that  he  had  no  ])o\vcr  to  enforce  it.  Mahaskah  n.'solved 
to  j)mceed  immediately  to  Washington,  and  a])peal,  in  person,  to 
his  great  father,  and  ask  for  redress.  -This  intention  of  the  chief 
was  made  known  to  the  government.  The  answer  was,  in  sul)- 
stance,  "There  is  no  a])proprialion  to  pay  his  expenses."  He  then 
determined  to  make  the  visit  at  his  own  cost,  which  he  did  in  the 
winter  of  1830-7,  selecting  for  his  companion  a  notable  brave, 
called  the  Sioux  Killer,  whose  portrait  is  given  in  this  work,  and  of 
whose  life  aiui  actions  we  have  something  to  say.  Tlie  lowavs  en- 
f.'age(l  the  services  of  Major  Joseph  V.  Hamilton  and  Major  Morgan, 


YOUNG   MAHASKAH. 


9T 


!iad  invested  them  with  full  power  to  adjust  their  difTiciilties  witli 
the  government.  Major  Morgan  declined,  Major  IlamiUou  con- 
sented ;  when,  in  company  with  their  long-tried  and  faitliful  agent, 
General  Andrew  II.  Hughes,  the  party  started  for  Washington. 

Mahaskah  had  indulged  tlie  hope  that  tliese  diniculties  might  be 
adjusted  at  St.  Louis,  and  thereby  save  the  trouble  and  expense  of 
pursuing  his  journey  to  Washington.     With  this  view,  he  visited 
the  old  and  constant  friend  of  his  people.  General  William  Clark, 
wiio  received  the  chief  and  his  party  with  all  the  kindness  whicli 
has  so  long  characterized  his  intercourse  witli  the  Indians  of  the  far 
West.     But  he  was  unable  to  redress  the  grievances  (-omplained  of, 
and,  tluTelbre,  declined  to  interfere  in  the  adjustment  of  their  claims. 
He,  however,  gave   Mahaskah  a  letter,  which  was  addressed   to 
Major  Hamilton,  to  be  laid  before  the  President,  together  with  a 
very  able  petition  which  had  been  prepared.     The  petition  was  ad- 
dressed to  Andrew  Jackson,  President  of  the  United  States,  or  his 
succes.sor;  and  also  to  the  Congress  of  the  United  States;  the  object 
being  that,  if  the  President  had  no  authority  to  interfere,  Congress 
might  confer  it. 

The  young  chief  and  his  party  were  received  with  great  kindness 
by  the  authorities  at  Washington.  He  told,  in  his  own  simple  but 
eloquent  style,  the  story  of  his  wrongs,  and  claimed  the  interposition 
of  the  government.  He  was  promised,  in  reply,  that  his  business 
should  be  attended  to,  and  his  grievances  redressed.  Reposing 
entire  confidence  in  these  promises,  he  was  satisfied.  A  medal  was 
presented  to  him,  and  other  testimonials  of  respect  shown  him. 
After  remaining  about  ten  days,  he  returned,  in  February,  1837,  to 
his  own  country.  The  portrait  before  the  reader  was  taken  during 
that  visit,  by  that  celebrated  artist.  King,  the  san.s  who  had  taken, 
previously,  a  large  portion  of  those  which  embellish  this  work. 

In  person,  young  Mahaskah  is  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high, 
and  so  finely  proportioned  as  to  be  a  model,  in  all  respects,  of  a  per- 
fect man.     The  reader  will  see,  on  turning  to  his  portrait,  hovir 

13 


98 


BIOfiRAlMiY. 


striking  is  its  resemblance  to  his  fatlicr's,  and  liow  clearly  it  indi- 
cates tlic  character  of  tlie  man.  Around  his  neck  are  seen  the  sarn« 
bear's  claws  wliich  his  lather  had  long  worn  before  liini. 

It  luqjpened,  when  Maliaskah  was  at  Wasliington,  that  the  agent 
for  this  work  was  there  also.  He  waited  on  the  pari}-,  and  exhibited 
the  specimen  number.  As  he  turned  over  the  leaves  bearing  the 
likenesses  of  many  of  those  Indians  of  the  far  ^^  est,  who  were  known 
to  the  party,  Maliaskah  would  pronounce  their  names  with  the  same 
promptness  as  if  the  originals  had  been  alive  and  heiure  liini. 
Amon<>-  these  was  the  likeness  of  his  father.  He  looked  at  it  with 
a  compos(n-e  bordering  on  indifference.  On  being  asked  if  he  did 
not  know  his  father,  he  answered,  pointing  to  the  jiortrait,  "Tliat 
is  my  father."  He  was  asked  if  he  was  not  glad  to  see  him.  He 
replied;  "  It  is  enough  for  me  to  know  that  my  father  was  a  brave 
man,  and  had  a  big  heart,  and  died  an  honorable  death  in  doing 
the  wdl  of  my  great  flither" — referring  to  the  duty  he  was  engaged 
in,  as  stated  in  his  father's  life,  which  resulted  in  his  death. 

Another  leaf  being  turned  over,  he  said,  "  That  is  Shaumone- 
kus8e,  the  Ottoe  chief,"  and  added,  "he  is  a  brave  and  sen.sible 
man,  and  I  am  glad  to  f-'rc  him."  They  had  long  been  friends;  in 
fact,  ever  since  Mahaskah  was  a  boy,  they  had  smoked  the  cajumet 
together.  The  portrait  of  the  Eagle  of  Delight,  wife  of  Shaurnone- 
kusse,  whj  then  shown  to  him.  "That,"  said  he,  "is  my  mother." 
The  agent  assured  him  he  was  mistaken.  He  became  indignant, 
and  seemed  mortified  that  his  mother,  as  he  believed  her  to  be, 
should  be  arranged  in  the  work  as  the  wife  of  another,  and 
especially  of  a  chief  over  whom  his  father  had  held  and  exercised 
authority.  The  collocpiy  became  interesting,  until  at  last  some  ex- 
citement, on  the  part  of  Maliaskah,  grew  out  of  it.  On  hearing  it 
repeated  by  the  agent,  tliat  he  must  be  mistaken,  Mahaskah  turned 
and  looked  him  in  the  face,  saying,  "  Did  you  ever  know  the  child 
that  loved  its  mother,  and  had  seen  licr,  that  forgot  the  board  on 
which  he  was  strapped,  and  the  back  on  which  he  had  been  carried, 


YOUNO    MAH  \S!C  A  II. 


90 


or  the  knee  on  wlacli  ho  hud  Ihh'u  iinrsiid,  or  the  liivast  that  hud 
given  hiiu  IMe?"  So  firmly  convinced  was  he  that  this  was  tlie 
picture  of  liis  mother,  and  so  resolved  that  she  should  not  remain 
l)y  tiie  side  of  Shanmonckusse,  that  he  said,  "  I  will  no!  leave  this 
room  until  my  mother's  name,  Rantchewaime,  is  marked  o-.  er  the 
name  of  Eagle  of  Delight."  Tiie  agent  for  the  work  complied  with 
his  demand,  when  liis  agitation,  which  had  become  great,  subsided, 
and  he  appeared  contented.  Looking  once  mo  <.■  at  the  painting,  he 
tiiriiefl  from  it,  saying,  "  If  it  had  not  been  for  ^^  aucondamony" — 
the  name  he  gave  the  agent  for  the  work,  which  means  Walking 
God,  so  called,  because  he  a'triljuted  the  taking  of  the.se  likenesses 
to  him — "  I  would  have  kissed  her;  but  Wancondamonv  made  me 
ashamed." 

Soon  after  this  interview,  the  party  went  to  King's  gallery,  where 
are  copies  of  many  of  these  likenesses,  and  among  them  are  both 
the  Eagle  of  Delight  and  the  Female  Flying  Pigeon.  The  moment 
Mahaskah's  eye  caught  the  portrait  of  the  Female  FlyiuL''  Pigeon, 
he  e.vclaimed,  ^^  That  is  my  inotlicr!  that  is  her  fan!  I  know  her 
now.  I  am  ashamed  again."  Ho  immediateh'  a.sked  to  have  a 
copy  of  it,  as  also  of  the  Eagle  of  Delight,  wife  of  Shaumonekusse, 
saying,  of  this  last,  "  The  Ottoe  chief  will  be  so  glad  to  see  his 
squaw,  and  he  will  give  me  one  hundred  horses  for  it."' 

It  was  njost  natural  that  Mahaskah  should  have  mistaken  the 
Eagle  of  Delight  for  liis  mother,  and  no  less  so,  when  tluy  were 
seen  together,  that  he  should  become  convinced  of  his  error.  His 
mother,  it  will  bo  recollected,  was  killed  when  he  was  only  four 
years  old.  She  and  the  Eagle  of  Delight  were  neighbors  and  friends, 
and  much  together;  and  were  particular  in  braiding  their  hair 
alike,  and  dressing  always  after  the  same  fashion,  and,  geinMally,  in 
the  same  kind  of  material.  lie  knew,  moreover,  that  the  1",.il;Io  of 
Delight  was  of  roval  birth,  and,  though  a  child,  lie  recolU'cted  she 
had  a  blue  spot  on  her  forehead,  which  is  the  ensign  of  royalty.  In 
the  portrait  before  him,  the  colorer  had  omitted  the  sj)ot;  mt  seeing 


too 


BIOGRAPHY. 


this,  and  seeing  the  braided  hair  and  the  dress,  and  the  strong  ro 
semblance  to  the  features  of  his  mother  as  they  remained  impressed 
nju-n  Ills  memory,  lie  was  easily  deceived.     The  moment,  however, 
he  came  inio  the  presence  of  his  mother's  likeness,  and  had  both 
before  him,  he  knew  her  on  whose  back  he  had  been  carried,  the 
knee  on  which  lie  had  been  nursed,  and  the  breast  that  had  given 
him  life;  and  even  the  fan  in  her  hand  served  to  recall  the  mother 
he  had  loved,  and  painfully  to  remind  him  of  her  melancholy  deatli 
—for  he  said  that  she  had  that  same  fan  in  her  hand  when  the 
horse  fell  with  her.     In  the  other  jiainting  before  him,  he  saw  the 
blue  spot.     He  was  no  longer  mistaken,  and  rejoiced  in  once  more 
beholding  so  good  a  mother.     It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add,  thai 
copies  of" both  were  sent  to  him,  and  that  both  he  and  Shaumone- 
kusse,  the  husband  of  the  Eagle  of  Delight,  were  made  happy;  the 
one  ill  receiving  back,  as  from  the  dead,  a  mother  so  beloved— tho 
other,  a  wife  whose  loss  he  deeply  deplores. 


METAKOOSEGA. 


iMETAKoosicnA,  or  Pure  tobacco,  is  one  of  the  Lac  du  Flambeau 
I'.iiid,  of  tlie  Chippeway,  or,  more  properly,  Objibway  nation,  and 
resides  on  liie  borders  of  Trout  Lake.  This  man  was  one  of  a  war 
]):irty,  raised  in  1S2I,  to  go  against  the  Sioux.  They  descended 
I  he  Chippeway  river  to  the  Mississippi,  and  unfortunately  fell  in 
with  a  trader  named  Finley,  from  Prairie  du  Chicn,  whom,  together 
with  the  crew  of  his  boat,  they  murdered. 

It  is  provitled,  by  our  treaties  with  the  Indian  tribes,  that,  upon 
the  commission  of  such  outrages,  the  offenders  shall  be  given  up  by 
their  tribes,  to  be  tried  and  punished  under  our  laws;  and  the  prac- 
tice of  our  government  has  lieen,  to  insist  upon  a  rigid  observance 
of  this  regulation.  When  the  usual  demand  was  made  for  the 
murderers  of  Finley,  twenty-nine  of  the  party  voluntarily  sur- 
rendered themselves  to  the  agent  at  the  Sault  de  St.  Marie.  They 
were  examined,  seven  of  them  committed  for  trial,  and  confined  at 
Mackinaw,  and  the  remainder  discharged.  At  the  ensuing  term  of 
the  court,  the  judge  of  the  district  declined  trying  the  prisoners,  in 
consequence  of  some  oljjection  which  had  been  raised  against  his 
jurisdiction  :  and,  during  the  following  winter,  they  cut  tlieir  way 
out  of  the  log  jail,  and  escaped. 

In  the  mission  of  Governor  Ca,ss  and  Colonel  McKenney  to  tlie 
Upper  Lakes,  in  182n,  it  was  made  part  of  their  duty  to  ascertain 
and  demand  the  real  perpetrators  of  the  aggression  on  the  party  of 
Mr.  Finley.     This  has  always  been  a  difficult  and  delicate  subject, 

(101) 


102 


niOiillAlMIY. 


ill  llie  rclalions  oCtuir  yoscnniiciit  uitli  tho  Iiidiuiis,  in  coiiswiuencc 
of  tlic  very  wulo  dilleri'iici'  IjctweL-ii  llit'ir  moral  codi'  iiml  (nir  own. 
Tlioy  udiiiit  tlic  ubligatidii  Dl'llit)  lex  ta/iunia  {u  its  I'lilk'st  oxlciit,  l)ut 
tiiry  caiiiiot  uiulcistaiul  lliut  any  other  than  tho  injured  party  has  a 
riylit  to  claim  the  jienally.  Had  any  of  the  near  rehitives  of  Mr. 
l'"inley,  for  instance,  jfonc  to  tlio  Lac  du  Flaniheau,  to  revenge 
themselves  ujion  liis  murderers,  thoy  would  have  been  considered 
as  in  the  praiseworthy  performance  of  an  act  of  duty,  and  would 
have  iteen  permitted  to  put  tlie  guilty  parties  to  death,  iftlnij  could 
— and  none  would  have  interfered,  either  to  aid  or  prevent  them. 
But  they  view  the  interlereiice  of  tlu!  yovermnent  with  jealjusy; 
and  while,  on  the  one  hand,  thoy  often  refuse  obstinately  to  betray 
the  oll'ender,  or  shield  him  by  evasion  and  delay,  tliey  as  often,  on 
the  other,  wiien  their  fears  of  tho  resentment  of  our  <,rovernmeiit 
l)ecome  awakened,  deliver  up  somt;  innocent  Jiarty,  who  voluntei'rs 
his  life  as  a  peace-oU'ering,  to  satisfy  what  tiiey  deem  a  kind  of 
national  thirst  for  the  blood  of  one  of  the  tribe  which  has  insulted  us. 
The  following  extract  from  Colonel  McKcnney's  account  of  this 
transaction  will  be  interesting: — "The  council  met;  when,  ac- 
cording to  arrangement,  I  made  the  demand  for  the  surrender  of 
the  miinh'rers.  This  being  done,  and  there  [)eing  one  Indian 
present  belonging  to  the  Lac  du  Flambeau  band,  and  who  was  of 
the  l)arty  who  commilted  tho  murder,  lie  was  called  up,  and 
formally  examined,  lie  is  clearly  innocent.  Indeed  his  j)re.sence 
here  demonstrates  that  fact.  It  was  in  proof,  that  he  dissuaded  the 
murderers  from  committing  the  act.  We  told  him,  if  hn  had  been 
guilty,  we  would  have  taker,  him  with  us,  and  tried  him  by  our 
laws ;  and  if,  on  proof,  he  had  turned  out  to  have  hail  a  hand  in  the 
bk)ody  act,  he  should  have  been  hanged.  During  the  examination, 
his  brother  came  \\\)  to  the  table,  greiitly  agitated.  He  showed 
great  anxiety,  and  said  he  knew  the  murderers  had  upbraided  his 
brother  because  he  would  not  join  them.  Another  Indian  declared 
he  knew  he  was  innocent.     The  governor  said,  '  Will  you  put  your 


.MKT.\i\()()si:(;.\. 


108 


'' I  ""  .your  lirc'isl,  aiul  s.iv  that  in   the  pru.sciici'  of  the  (Ireut 

Spirit  .''  'I'lic  iiioincut  tin;  iiitcrprftcr  put  this  (piostion,  tlic  Indi.ni 
lookrd  him  full  in  the  face,  iiiid  aiiswcml,  '.Iw  ladoy,  thut  I  slioiilil 
lirf  This  reply  is  somcnvliat  ri'iiiiirkal)l(>,  not  only  on  account  of 
lis  n'siMnl)iancc  to  th(j  scriptural  o.vpn'ssiou— '  Is  tliy  servant  a  dojr?' 
\c.— l)nt  hccause  there  is  liardiy  any  lhi:i<r  on  wliirh  an  Indian 
sots  so  hifrji  a  value  as  his  dog.  'I'his  is  provcilual ;  yet  he  is  con- 
stantly referred  to  as  an  object  of  conteni))t!  Indians  never  swear— 
I  mean  until  they  learn  it  of  their  white  brothers— and  their  most 
deirrading  epithet  is  to  call  their  opponents  thnjs.  Ifere  is  a  stranj,'o 
union  of  respect  and  contenij)t." 

Metakoosega  was  implicated  in  the  murder,  but  did  :iot  surrender 
himself  lie  is  a  tall,  well-made  man,  with  a  stern  countenance; 
and  is  a  jossekeed,  or  niedicinr  "  nker,  much  respected  by  his  band 
for  his  supposed  skill  in  necromancy. 


NEOMONNI. 


This  is  the  fifth  chief,  in  grade,  in  the  loway  tribe.  In  attempt- 
ing to  describe  liis  own  age,  he  said  tliut  he  was  born  wlien  his 
tribe  made  war,  the  first  time,  upon  ihe  Osages,  and  that,  he 
believed,  was  about  forty  years  ago.  This  is  as  uear  as  tiie  Indians 
usually  approacli  to  accuracy  in  regard  to  tlieir  own  ages.  lie  de- 
scribes himself  as  having  had  a  j)acific  disjrosition  in  childhood,  and 
as  having  no  desire  to  kill  any  thing  until  he  was  ten  years  old. 
At  that  time  a  great  flight  of  wild  pigeons  covered  the  country,  and 
he  went  out  with  other  boys  to  kill  them.  Having  been  employed 
for  some  days  in  this  way,  he  became  fond  of  the  sport,  and  then 
killed  a  squirrel.  After  that  his  brothers  offered  him  a  gun,  of 
which  at  fir.st  he  was  afraid,  but,  being  induced  to  receive  it,  he 
went  out  and  shot  a  turkey-  He  remembers  that,  while  yet  a  boy, 
being  one  day  in  the  village,  some  warriors  returned  from  an  expe- 
dition, shouting,  and  making  a  great  noise.  The  peojile  collected 
around  them,  while  the  warriors  sung  and  danced,  and  exhibited 
the  scalps  they  had  taken.  His  father  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 
said  to  him,  "  Son,  listen  to  me.  Look  at  those  scalps,  and  at  those 
great  warriors !  TViis  is  what  I  like  to  see.  Observe  those  braves, 
and  learn  to  follow  their  example.  Go  to  war  and  kill  too,  and  the 
chiefs  will  look  upon  you  as  a  brave  man."  Such  teaching  would 
not  be  lost  upon  a  boy,  and  least  of  all  upon  the  Indira  '"-d,  whose 
first  lesson  inculcates  the  shedding  of  blood,  and  whose  innate  de 
structiveness,  practised  in  the  beginning  upon  the  lesser  animals, 
is  rapidly  developed  and  improved  as  his  strength  increases,  by  the 
,( 10* ) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


105 


strongest  incentives,  until  it  attains  its  mnximuin  in  the  great 
exploit  of  manslaughter.  lie  Avas  soon  after  permitted  to  accom- 
pany a  war-party,  and,  being  too  young  to  bear  arms,  was  employed 
in  carrying  the  cooking  utensils  and  other  burdens.  It  is  thus  that 
the  Indian  boys,  like  the  pages  and  squires  of  chivalry,  are  trained 
for  the  business  of  war.  He  was  in  the  rear,  when  an  onset  was 
made  upon  a  camp  of  the  Kansas,  and,  running  eagerly  forward  to 
indulge  his  curiosity,  witnessed  the  killing  of  a  woman,  struck  his 
knife  into  the  e.xpiring  victim,  and  had  the  fortune  to  seize  upon 
two  cliildren,  who  became  his  prisoners,  and  were  afterwards  given 
up  by  him  to  General  Clark,  the  superintendent  of  Indian  affiiirs, 
at  St.  Louis. 

When  about  seventeen,  he  was  at  a  hunting  lodge  with  a  small 
party,  under  his  uncle,  the  Hard  Heart,  who  left  them,  for  a  short 
time,  to  go  to  procure  powder  and  lead.  While  lounging  about  the 
camp  he  espied  an  Omaha,  who  was  peeping  at  him,  and  endea- 
voring at  the  same  time  to  avoid  observation.  Neomonni  called 
the  stranger  to  him,  and  invited  him  to  spend  the  night  at  the 
lodge.  The  OmaJia,  who  probably  cc  uld  not  readily  escape,  came 
to  tliem,  and  they  watched  him  all  night.  His  death  was  rtsolved 
upon,  but  as  the  Indian  seldom  acts  excej)t  by  stratagem,  the 
tragedy  was  deferred  until  morning.  At  the  dawn  they  began  to 
mo\e  their  camp.  While  on  the  march,  one  of  the  party  shot  the 
Omaha,  and  Neomonni,  after  he  had  fallen,  discharged  an  arrow 
into  liis  body  and  scalped  him.  An  old  man  of  the  party,  whose 
son  had  been  killed  by  the  Omahas,  exclaimed,  "  Now  I'll  be 
captain  !"  by  which  he  meant,  that,  having  a  cause  for  revenge 
against  the  Omahas,  he  had  the  best  right  to  take  the  lead  in  the 
savage  gratification  of  exulting  over  a  fallen  enemy. 

As  our  readers  would  not  probably  be  edified  by  a  particular 
detail  of  the  sanguinary  deeds  of  this  chief,  we  shall  not  pur.sue  the 
minute  recital  with  which  he  was  good  enough  to  favor  us.  How- 
over  interesting  such  adventures  might  be  to  the  spectators  of  a  war- 

14 


IOC 


NEOMONNI. 


dance,  or  the  grave  members  of  a  council,  we  fear  thej  might  not 
be  equally  pleasing  to  civilized  ears,  and  shall,  therefore,  abridge  a 
narrative  which  contains  but  a  repetition  of  such  deeds  as  those 
already  repeated. 

The  child  out  of  which  the  rain  comes— ^or  such  is  the  significa- 
tion of  the  compound  word  Neomonni— is  a  warrior  of  repute.  In 
one  of  his  adventures  he  accompanied  the  celebrated  Otto  chief 
letan,  to  the  river  Platte ;  and  when  shown  the  portrait  of  that 
warrior,  in  a  former  number  of  this  work,  he  immediately  recog- 
nized his  old  comrade.  In  summing  up  his  various  exploits,  he 
claims  to  have  taken  three  scalps  of  the  Kansas,  two  of  the  Omahas, 
one  of  the  IMissouris,  one  of  the  Sioux,  one  of  the  Sauks,  and  two 
of  the  Osagcs.  In  the  reputable  business  of  horse-stealing  he  has 
been  engaged  tliirteen  times,  and  has  taken  forty  horses.  On  four 
expeditions  he  has  acted  as  captain;  and  he  has  presented  sixty- 
seven  horses  and  twenty  rifles,  on  different  occasions,  to  individuals 
or  tribes  other  than  his  own.  These  acts  of  liberality  are  recounted 
with  much  complacency,  because,' while  they  show  on  the  one 
hand  a  wealth  gained  by  daring  and  successful  stratagem,  they 
evince,  on  the  other  a  generosity,  public  spirit,  and  zeal  for  the 
honor  of  the  tribe,  highly  becoming  the  character  of  a  great  chief. 


WAKAWN, 


A  WINNEBAGO   CHIEF. 


Wakawn,  the  Snake,  was  a  war-chief  of  the  WinnebagDes. 
He  was  born  on  St.  Mary's  river,  near  Green  Bay,  in  the  Michigan 
territory,  and  died  in  1838,  at  the  age  of  nearly  sixty  years.  He 
was  of  the  middle  stature,  but  athletic  in  form,  and  was  exceeded 
by  none  of  iiis  nation  in  aljility  to  endure  fatigue.  Although  his 
countenance  displayed  but  an  ordinary  intellect,  the  expression  was 
mild,  and  he  had  an  honest  eye,  such  as  is  not  often  seen  among 
his  people,  who  are  among  the  most  fierce  and  treacherous  of  their 
race.  The  Snake  was  a  well-disposed  man,  who  maintained  a  good 
character  through  life. 

In  1811,  and  previously  to  that  time,  the  Winnebagoes,  under 
the  influence  of  the  British  agents  and  traders,  were  unfriendly  to 
the  United  States,  and  were  actively  engaged  in  the  depredations 
committed  upon  the  frontier  settlements.     The  broad  expanse  of 

ilderness  which  intervened  between  them  and  the  settlements  in 
Oiiio  and  Indiana,  afforded  no  protection  to  the  latter,  whose  log 
cabins  were  burned  and  sacked  by  savages  who  travelled  hundreds 
of  miles  to  enjoy  the  gratification  of  murdering  a  family,  and  plun- 
dering the  wretched  homestead  of  a  hunter  whose  whole  wealth 
consisted  in  the  spoils  of  the  chase.  The  prospect  of  a  war  btitween 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  to  which  they  had  long  been 
taught  to  look  forward  as  an  event  which  would  give  them  tem- 

(  107  ) 


108 


BIOGRAPHY. 


porary  employment,  and  great  ultimate  advantage,  stimulated  this 
warlike  peo])ie  into  a  iiigli  state  of  excitement ;  and  when  the  Sha- 
wanoc  Prophet  raised  his  standard,  they  were  among  the  lirst  ol' 
the  deluded  band  who  rallied  around  it.  Wakaw  n  ami  some  of 
his  people  formed  a  part  of  the  motley  assemblage  collected  at  the 
Prophet's  town  in  the  autumn  of  1»11,  afid  agui  wliom  was 
directed  the  campaign  of  General  Harrison,  which  eventuated  so 
honorably  to  the  American  arms,  and  to  the  personal  fame  of  that 
distinguished  leader.  Wakawn  was  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe, 
where  he  was  slightly  wounded,  and  is  .said  to  have  borne  himself 
bravely  on  that  occasion.  He  was  occasionally  on  the  war-path 
during  the  remainder  of  the  war,  at  the  close  of  which  he  buried 
the  hatchet,  and  has  since  been  uniforndy  friendly  to  the  American 
people. 

Since  the  establishment  of  friendly  relations  between  his  nation 
and  the  United  States,  the  Snake  has  been  conspicuous  for  his 
faithful  ob-ervance  of  the  existing  treaties;  and  after  the  several 
cessions  of  lands  made  by  the  Winnebagoes  to  the  American 
government,  he  always  led  the  way  in  abandoning  the  ceded  terri- 
tories, while  a  majority  of  the  tribe  were  disposed  to  rescind  the 
contract.  In  the  late  remova!  of  his  people  to  the  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, he  was  the  first  Winnebago,  of  any  note,  who  crossed  the 
river,  when  a  great  portion  of  the  nation,  including  most  of  the 
influential  men,  were  inclined  to  remain  upon  the  lands  they  had 
sold  to  the  United  States.  The  readiness  with  which  the  Indians 
sell  their  titles  to  large  tracts  of  country,  contrasted  with  their  sub- 
sequent reluctance  to  deliver  the  possession,  may  be  attributed  in 
part  to  the  fickleness  of  the  savage  character,  in  which  notions  of 
property,  of  obligation,  or  of  abstract  right  are  but  feeljly  developed, 
if  indeed  they  can  be  said  to  have  palpal)le  existence.  But  the 
immediate  causes  of  those  breaches  of  faitl  may  be  usually  traced 
to  the  intrigues  of  unprincipled  traders,  who  seek  pecuniary  ju'ofit 
ill  fomenting  dissension.     The  refusal  of  an  Indian  nation  to  com- 


WAKAWN. 


109 


ply  with  its  engagements,  afTords  an  occasion  for  a  new  tiea. \, 
attended  with  all  the  parade  and  expenditure  of  the  original  con- 
vention, with  new  stipulations,  additional  presents,  and  increased 
disbursements  of  money  for  various  purposes,  all  which  all'ord 
opportunities  for  peculation  to  those;  ra|)acious  men.  \o  snlyect 
has  been  more  greatly  misunderstood,  or  has  alforded  a  more  pro- 
lific theme  for  vituperation  towards  the  American  government  and 
people,  than. the  oppression  supposed  to  have  been  exercised  in 
removing  Indians  from  their  ceded  lands,  and  which  lias  l)een 
inferred  from  their  reluctance  to  abandon  them ;  when,  in  fact,  the 
only  fault  on  the  part  of  the  government  is,  that  in  effecting  a  laud- 
able object,  and  with  humane  intentions  towards  the  Indian,  they 
have  unwisely  adopted  a  system  which  is  liable  to  gross  abiises. 

In  183't,  the  government  established  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  a 
school  and  farm  for  the  instruction  of  the  Winnebagoes,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Rev.  David  Lowry,  who  engaged  assiduously  in 
the  duty  of  instructing  that  tribe  in  the  rudiments  of  an  English 
education,  as  well  as  in  the  labors  of  agriculture,  combining  with 
these,  such  religious  information  as  his  opportunities  enabled  hiin 
to  inculcate.  The  Snake  was  the  first  of  the  chief  men  to  aj)pre- 
ciate  the  value  of  this  establishment ;  he  applied  himself  to  the 
study  of  husbandry,  and  placed  his  family  under  the  tuition  of  Mr. 
Lowry.  His  example  was  the  more  valuable,  as  the  Indians  gene- 
rally are  opposed  to  all  such  innovations ;  and  the  Winnebagoes 
were  obstinately  hostile  to  the  efforts  made  to  induce  them  to  adopt 
the  habits  of  civilized  life.  The  decision  of  Wakawn,  and  the  zeal 
with  which  he  advocated  the  benevolent  views  of  the  government, 
brought  him  into  collision  with  the  other  chiefs,  who  viewed  his 
predilection  for  t'""^  knowledge  and  habits  of  the  white  men,  as  an 
alien  and  degenerate  partiality,  inconsistent  with  the  duty  which 
he  owed  to  his  own  race;  and  on  one  occasion  he  defended  his 
opinions  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 

Notwithstanding  the  disgrace  attached  to  the  practice  of  manual 


110 


BIOGRAPHY. 


labor  among  the  In(Uaii  braves,  the  Snake  often  threw  aside  his 
blanket,  and  joined  his  wife  in  iier  rude  but  persevering  attempts 
to  support  tlie  family  by  tilling  the  soil.  The  fertile  prairies  of 
Wisconsin,  where  the  soil  has  never  been  exhausted  by  culture, 
yields  abundant  returns,  and  he  soon  became  convinced  that  he 
could  more  easily  obtain  a  livelihood  in  this  manner,  tiian  by  the 
fatiguing  and  precarious  lalwrs  of  the  cliase.  But  when  urged  by 
the  Sui)erintendcnt  of  the  school  to  give  the  full  weight  of  his 
character  and  influence  to  the  proposed  reformation,  by  laying 
aside  the  character  of  th*'  brave,  and  adopting  entirely  the  habits 
of  the  ci\  ilized  man,  he  replied  that  he  was  too  old — that  the 
Indians  who  had  been  reared  in  the  free  and  roving  pursuits  of 
savage  life,  could  not  abandon  them,  but  that  their  children  might; 
and  while  he  declined  doing  what  would  be  a  violence  to  his  own 
nature,  he  strongly  advocated  the  employment  of  means  to  civilize 
the  youth  of  his  nation. 

The  difliculty  of  changing  the  habits  of  a  people  was  exemplified 
in  an  amusing  manner,  in  the  family  of  this  chief  At  his  own 
request  a  log-house,  such  as  constitutes  the  dwelling  of  the  Ameri- 
can former  in  the  newly  settled  parts  of  the  country,  was  erected 
for  him,  at  the  expense  of  the  government,  under  the  expectation 
that,  by  giving  his  family  a  permanent  residence,  one  step  would 
be  taken  towards  their  civilization.  The  house  was  arranged  in 
the  ordinary  way,  with  a  cliimney  and  fire-place;  the  operations  of 
cooking  were  commenced  in  due  form,  at  the  fire-place,  and  the 
family  assembled  round  the  hearth,  pleased  and  amused,  no  doubt, 
wi'h  this  new  form  of  social  economy.  But  it  was  not  long  before 
the  newly  adopted  contrivance  was  abandoned — the  floor  was 
removed,  and  a  fire  kindled  in  the  centre  of  the  house — the  family 
gathered  in  a  circle  about  it — a  hole  was  cut  in  the  roof  for  the 
smoke  to  pass  tlirough — and  the  mansion  of  the  8nake  family 
became  once  more,  thorougiily  and  completely,  an  Indian  lodge. 

Nor  could  Wakawn  himself  resolve  to  abandon  the  superstitions 


WAKAWN. 


Ill 


of  his  race:  while  he  recomniendcd  civilizntion  to  others,  he  clung 
lo  the  customs  of  his  forefathers.  Believing  in  the  existence,  a.u(l 
the  superiority  of  the  true  God,  he  could  not  sever  the  tie  that 
bound  him  to  the  ideal  deities  of  his  people.  He  continued  to  join 
liis  tribe  in  their  religious  feasts  and  dances,  and  usually  presided 
at  the  exercises.  lie  probably  had  the  faculty  of  veneration  strongly 
developed,  for  his  grave  and  solemn  demeanor,  on  such  occasions, 
is  said  to  have  rendered  them  interesting,  and  to  have  given  an 
imposing  effect  to  the  ceremonies. 

Unfortunately  this  respectable  chief,  who  possessed  so  many 
estimable  qualities,  and  so  just  a  sense  of  the  true  interests  of  his 
peojile,  was  subject  to  the  weakness  wliicli  has  proved  most  fatal 
to  them.  He  was  addicted  to  intoxication;  and  unhappily  there  is 
nothing  in  the  religion  or  the  ethics  of  the  savage,  nothing  in  their 
public  opinion  or  tlic  economy  of  their  domestic  life,  to  impose  a 
restraint  upon  tliis  vice.  When  a  fondness  for  ardent  spirits  is 
contracted,  it  is  usually  indulged,  with  .scarcely  any  discredit  to  the 
individual,  and  without  a  limit,  except  that  imposed  by  the  want 
of  means  to  gratif^y  this  insatiable  appetite.  Wakawn  lived  in  the 
neighborliood  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  where  the  temptation  was  con- 
tinually before  him,  and  where  ardent  s])irits  were  easily  procured  ; 
and  he  was  often  drunk.  This  vice  was  the  cause  of  his  death. 
In  November,  1H3S,  after  receiving  their  annuities  from  the  United 
States,  the  Winnebagoes  indulged  themselves  in  a  grand  debauch, 
a  kind  of  national  spree,  in  which  all  engaged,  without  distinction 
of  age,  sex,  or  condition  ;  and  scenes  of  drunkenness,  of  violence, 
and  of  disgusting  indecency  were  exhibited,  such  ais  had  never 
before  been  witnessed  among  this  people.  Wakawn  indulged 
freely,  and  becoming  entirely  helpless,  wandered  off,  and  threw 
himself  on  the  ground,  where  he  slept  without  any  protection  from 
the  weather,  during  the  whole  of  a  very  cold  night.  The  next 
day  he  was  attacked  with  a  pleurisy,  which  soon  terminated  his 
existence. 


112 


BIOGRAPHY. 


Tlio  Snake  was  buried  according  to  the  Indian  customs.  A  pipe, 
and  several  otlicr  articles  of  small  value  were  deposited  with  his 
remains  in  the  grave.  As  those  had  been  intended  for  the  use  of 
the  s])irit,  in  the  happy  hunting-grounds  of  the  blessed,  liis  wife 
was  desirous  of  adding  some  other  articles,  and  brouglit  tliern  to 
the  place  of  interment,  but  they  were  claimed  by  a  rapacious  chief, 
in  remuneration  of  his  services  in  doing  honor  to  the  deceased,  and 
actually  carried  awfiy.  Previous  to  fdling  up  the  grave,  the  family 
and  relations  of  Wakawn  stepped  across  it,  uttering  loud  lamenta- 
tions, and  then,  after  marching  from  it,  in  single  fde,  for  several 
hundred  yards,  returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to  their  several 
lodges.  This  custom,  wliich  the  Winnebagoes  usually  pursue,  is 
practised  from  a  regard  for  the  living,  and  is  supposed  to  be  effica- 
cious in  diverting  the  hand  of  death  from  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

The  grave  of  this  chief  is  often  visited  by  convivial  parties  of  his 
friends,  who  gather  around  it  and  pour  whisky  on  the  ground,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  departrd  spirit,  which  is  supposed  to  return  and 
mingle  in  their  orgies.  It  would  not  be  difficult  to  point  out,  in  the 
bacchanalian  lyrics  of  the  most  refined  nation.s,  some  ideas  more 
absurd  and  less  poetical  than  this. 

The  wife  of  this  chief  still  survives,  and  is  a  pittern  to  her 
nation,  in  point  of  morality  and  industry.  She  had  the  sagacity 
to  see  the  advantages  which  civilization  offi-rcd  to  her  se.\,  and 
became  an  early  advocate  for  extending  its  benefits  to  her  children. 
She  has  uniformly  resisted  the  temptation  to  which  most  of  the 
Indian  women  yield,  and  has  never  been  known  to  ta.-^te  whisky. 
Always  industrious,  she  contributed  largely  to  the  support  of  her 
family,  during  her  husband's  life,  by  ctdtivating  the  soil,  and  since 
his  decease  has  maintained  them  decently  by  the  same  means 
Shortly  after  she  became  a  widow,  a  brother  of  iier  late  husband 
otfered  to  marry  her,  in  conformity  with  a  custom  of  the  tribe,  but 
she  declined  the  proposal. 


FOKE  LUSTE   IIAJO. 


This  distinguished  individual  was  at  one  time  the  principal  war 
chief  of  the  Scminoles,  but  being  friendly  to  tlie  United  States,  was 
superseded  in  that  post  by  Ilolato  Mico,  tlie  Blue  King.  His  name, 
Foke  Luste  Ilajo,  signifies  Hack  craggy  day,  but  he  is  usually 
called  Black  Dirt,  an  epithet  which  seems  to  have  no  reference  to 
his  character,  fot  he  is  described  as  a  brave  and  high-minded  man, 
of  more  than  ordinary  abilities. 

He  was  one  of  the  chiefs  who  assisted  at  the  council  of  Payne's 
Landing,  and  assented  to  the  celebrated  treaty  of  which  the  results 
have  been  so  disastrous  to  the  country,  and  so  ruinous  to  the  Semi- 
noles;  and  he  was  one  of  the  seven  who  were  appointed  to  visit 
and  explore  the  country  offered  to  his  people  for  their  future  resi- 
dence.     His   associates  were   Holata   Amathla,  Jumper,    Charley 
Amathla,  Coa  Hajo,  Arpiucki,  and  Yaha  Hajo.  Having  examined  and 
approved  ^the  country,  the  delegation  proceeded  to  ratify  the  treaty 
of  Payne's  Landing,  at  Fort  Gibson,  on  the  28th  of  March,  1833. 
This  was  one  of  the  several  fatal  mistakes  conmiitted  in  the  course 
of  this  unfortunate  negotiation;  for  the  chiefs  were  only  deputed  to 
examine  the  country,  and  should  have  reported  the  result  of  their 
inquiries  to  a  council  of  the  nation,  who  alone  were  competent  to 
ratify  the  treaty.     Colonel  Gadsden,  the  commissioner  who  netro 
tiated  the  treaty,  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  says :  "  There 
is  a  condition  prefixed  to  the  agreement,  without  assenting  to  which, 
the  Florida  Indians  most  positively  refused  to  negotiate  for  their 
rumoval  west  o/"  the  Mississippi.     Even  with  the  condition  annexed, 

15  (113) 


lU 


BjOGllAPHY. 


there  was  a  reluctance — which  with  some  difTiculty  was  ovcrcnme — 
on  ihc  part  of  tlic  Indians,  to  bind  tlicmsolves  by  any  stipulations 
before  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  and  circumstances  would  enable 
them  to  judge  of  the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  the  disposition 
the  government  of  the  United  States  wished  to  make  of  them. 
They  were  finally  induced,  however,  to  assent  to  the  agreement." 

The  same  gentleman  remarks  further:  " The  payment  for  pro- 
pert}'  alleged  to  have  been  plundered,  was  the  sid)ject  most  press- 
ed by  the  Indians,  and  in  yielding  to  their  wishes  on  this  head,  a 
limitation  has  been  fixed  in  a  sum,  which  I  think,  however,  will 
probably  cover  all  demands  which  can  be  satisfactorily  proved. 
Many  of  the  claims  are  for  negroes,  said  to  have  been  enticed  away 
from  their  owners,  during  the  protracted  Indian  disturbances,  of 
which  Florida  lias  been  for  years  the  theatre.  TJie  Indians  allege 
that  the  depredations  have  been  mutual,  that  they  have  sufTered  in 
the  same  degree,  and  that  most  of  the  property  claimed,  was  taken 
as  r(>prisal  for  property  of  equal  value  lost  by  them.  Tiiey  could 
not,  tlierefore,  yield  to  the  justice  of  restitution  solely  on  their  part; 
and  |)n)l)ably  there  was  no  better  mode  of  terminating  the  dilRculty 
than  by  that  provided  for  in  the  treaty  now  concluded.  The  final 
ratification  of  tlie  treaty  will  depend  upon  the  opinion  of  the  seven 
chiel's  selected  to  e.vplore  the  country  west  of  the  Mississijipi  river. 
If  that  corresponds  with  the  description  given,  or  is  ecjjial  to  the 
e.\pectations  formed  of  it,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  on  the  part  of 
the  Seminoles." 

The  mistake  made  by  the  agents  of  our  government,  in  accepting 
the  ratification  of  an  important  treaty,  by  a  few  chiefs,  instead  of 
requiring  the  action  of  the  whole  Seminole  nation,  properly  con- 
vened in  council,  was  a  fatal  one  for  the  country. 

We  have  stated,  in  anotlier  place,  the  conduct  of  this  chief  at  the 
council  held  on  the  2:}(1  of  April,  18.S5,  where  he  boldly  and 
eloquently  advocated  the  treaty  of  Payne's  Landing.  We  find  him 
also  assisting  at  a  council  on  the  19th  of  August,  in  the  same  year 


FOKE    LUSTE   II A  JO. 


110 


nnd  still  adhcriiiy  firmly  to  the  pacific  polif^y  which  he  had,  from 
die  first,  embracod. 

At,  the  close  of  tlie  year  istsri,  n  general  council  of  the  S'eminoles 
was  iiold,  at  which  they  resolved  lo  retain  possession  of  their  country 
at  all  hazards,  and  condemned  all  who  opposed  their  views  to  death. 
This  was  in  effect  a  declaration  of  war;  and  all  who  had  taken 
sides  with  the  United  States  were  admonished  by  it  to  seek  safety 
in  (li;,rlit.  Accordingly,  Ilolata  Amathla,  Otulke  Amathla,  Foke 
Lnsle  ilajo,  Conliatkee  ]\Iii-.o,  Foshutchee  Mice,  nnd  about  four 
hundred  and  fifty  of  tiieir  followers,  fled  to  Fort  Brook,  and 
encamped  under  the  protection  of  its  guns.  Since  that  time  this 
chief  has  remained  with  our  troops,  using  his  best  eflbrts  to  put  aa 
end  to  this  unhappy  war,  which  is  rapidly  wasting  away  the 
strength  of  the  Seminoles,  while  to  the  American  army  it  has  been 
a  field  of  gallant  and  untiring  effort,  filled  with  daring  and  brilliant 
events,  but  equally  fraught  with  disaster  and  fruitless,  of  good 
results. 


WABISIlKEErENAS. 


This  portrait  is  not  (>iiibraccd  in  tho  gallery  at  Wasliington,  Init, 
boiiijjf  aulliciitic,  is  addcfl  to  onr  collection,  in  consideration  of  tlio 
interesting  illustration  uiiicli  it  all'ords  of  a  ren)arkal)le,  though  not 
unusual,  feature  in  tiie  Indian  character. 

During  the  visit  of  Clovernor  Cass  and  Colonel  McKenney,  at 
Fond  dn  Lac  Superior,  in  1h*2(!,  they  met  with  this  individual,  who 
was  pining  in  wrclcliediicss  and  despondency  under  the  intluence 
of  a  superstition,  which  had  rendered  him  an  object  of  contein|)t  in 
the  eyes  of  his  tril)e.  "  An  Indian  opened  lh(>  door  of  my  room  to- 
day," says  Colonel  McKenney,  in  his  jcmrnal,  "and  came  in,  under 
circumstances  so  peculiar,  with  a  countenance  so  pensive,  and  a 
manner  so  lliu'ried,  as  to  lead  me  to  call  the  interpreter.  Before 
the  interpreter  came  in,  he  w-ent  out  with  a  (piick  but  feeble  step, 
looking  as  if  he  h:id  l)een  deserted  by  every  friend  he  ever  had.  I 
directed  the  interpreter  to  follow  him,  and  ascertain  what  he  wanted, 
and  the  cause  of  his  distressed  appearance.  I  could  not  get  the 
countenance  of  this  Indian  out  of  my  mind,  nor  his  impoverished 
and  forlorn  looks." 

It  seems  that,  in  1820,  when  Governor  Cass  and  Mr.  Schoolcraft 
made  a  tour  of  the  upper  lakes,  they  were  desirous  of  visiting  the 
celebrated  copper  rock,  a  mass  of  [)ure  copper  of  several  tons  weight, 
which  was  said  to  e.\ist  in  that  region,  but  found  some  difficulty 
in  procuring  a  guide,  in  consequence  of  tht  unwillingness  of  the 

(110) 


niofiit  APiiv. 


117 


rndiiins  to  fondiict  s(niii<f(M's  to  ;i  s|)nt  wliidi  they  considered  sacred. 
'Die  cnpiKT  rock  was  one  of  tlicir  vnoiilos — it  uas  a  spirit,  a  liolv 
tliiiit;'.  or  a  sdinctliini^r  u  hicii,  in  some  wav,  eniitrolied  tiieirdestiuv — 
for  tiieir  siiprrstilioiis  are  so  iiuiistiiiel  tiiat  it  is,  in  tiiost  cases, 
iiiipossil)lc  to  iiiidcrstaiid  or  describe  tlieiii.  The  Wliitu  Piycon 
was  prcvniied  upon  to  becotiK^  their  jfui(h%  l)ut  lost  his  way,  to  the 
"Treat  disappointiiieiit  ol'thi^  tr/veUers,  wlio  were  aiixions  to  inspect 
u  natural  curiosity,  the  ciiarai  tor  of  wiiicii  was  s)ip[)ose(i  to  have 
her'ii  tnist:duMi,  if,  indeed,  its  existence  was  not  wholly  falinlon.s. 
How  it  happened  that  an  Indian  of  that  re;,non  failed  to  find  a  spot 
so  well  known  to  his  trihe,  is  not  explained.  The  way  niii^h*  liave 
heen  dillirnlt,  or  the  <,nii(le  confused  by  the  consciousness  that  he 
had  undertaki'n  an  ollice  that  his  peo|)le  disapproved.  The  band, 
however.  attrii)ute(l  his  failun^  to  the  airency  of  the  manito,  who, 
accordinir  to  their  belief,  <,niards  the  rock,  and  who,  to  protect  it 
from  th{^  profanation  of  the  white  man's  presence,  had  interposed 
and  shut  the  path.  (Jnder  the  impression  that  he  h;id  oirendecl  the 
(ireat  Spirit,  lie  was  cast  oil' i)y  the  trilx',  but  would  pr()bai)ly  have 
soon  been  restored  to  favor,  had  not  further  indications  of  tlio  ui.s- 
pleasure  of  the  Deity  rendered  too  certain  that  the  crime  of  this 
unhappy  man  was  one  of  the  (Jec^pest  dye.  A  series  of  bad  luck 
attended  his  hdiors  in  the  chase.  The  <j[ame  of  the  forest  avoided 
him;  his  weapons  failed  to  perform  tlieir  fatal  oflice  ;  and  the  con- 
viction became  settled  that  he  was  a  doomed  man.  Deserted  i)y 
his  tribe,  and  satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  his  ufood  s|)irit  had 
forsaken  hiin,  he  wandered  about  the  forest  a  disconsolate  wretch, 
deriving  a  miserable  subsistence  from  the  roots  and  wild  fruit  of 
that  sterile  region.  Bereft  of  his  u.>>ial  activity  and  courajie.  de.sti- 
tute  of  confidence  and  self-respect,  he  seemed  to  liavc  scarcely 
retained  the  desire  or  ability  to  jirovide  himself  with  food  from  day 
to  day. 
The  American  Commissioners,  on  liearing  the  story  of  tlie  White 


118 


WABISIIKKEPEAAS. 


Pigeon's  fault  and  misfortunes,  became  interested  in  his  fate.  Tli<  y 
determined  to  restore  liim  to  the  aianding  from  which  he  had  fallen, 
and,  having  loaded  him  with  presents,  convinced  both  himself  and 
his  tribe  that  his  offence  was  forgiven  him,  and  his  luck  changed 
Governor  Cass  afterwards  procured  a  better  guide,  and  succeeded 
in  finding  the  copper  rock,  which  is  really  a  curiosity,  as  will  be 
seen  on  reference  to  our  life  of  Shingaba  W'Ossin. 

Another  incident,  which  occurred  at  Fond  du  Lac,  may  be  men- 
tioned, as  exemplifying  the  superstitions  of  this  race.  An  Indian, 
having  killed  a  moose  deer,  brought  it  to  the  trading  post  for  sale. 
It  was  remarkably  large,  and  Mr.  Morrison,  one  of  the  agents,  was 
desirous  to  preserve  the  skin  as  a  specimen.  For  this  purpose,  a 
frame  was  prepared,  and  the  skin,  properly  stuffed,  was  stretched 
and  supported  .so  as  to  represent  the  living  deer  in  a  standing  pos- 
ture. About  this  time,  the  Indians  were  unsuccessful  in  taking 
moose,  but  were  wholly  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  their  ill  fortune, 
until  one  of  thorn,  happening  to  visit  the  post,  espied  the  stuffed 
deer,  and  reported  what  he  had  seen  to  his  companions.  The  band 
agreed  at  once  tliat  their  want  of  success  was  attributable  to  the 
indignity  which  had  been  offered  to  the  deceased  deer,  whose  spirit 
had  evinced  its  displeasure  by  prevailing  on  its  living  kindred  not 
to  be  taken  by  men  who  would  impiously  stuff  their  hides.  Their 
first  business  was  to  appease  the  anger  of  this  sensitive  spirit. 
They  assembled  at  the  post,  and  with  respectful  gravity  marched 
into  the  presence  of  the  stuffed  moo.se.  They  seated  themselves 
around  it,  lighted  their  pipes,  and  began  to  smoke.  The  spirit  of 
the  deer  was  addressed  by  an  orator,  who  assured  it  that  the  tribe 
was  innocent  of  the  liberty  which  had  been  taken  with  its  carcass, 
and  begged  forgiveness.  In  token  of  their  sincerity,  the  pipes  were 
plar(>d  in  the  deer's  mouth,  that  it  might  smoke  too;  and  they 
separated  at  last,  satisfied  that  they  had  done  all  that  a  rr.asr  nable 
spirit  of  a  moose  deer  coula  ask,  and  fully  assur'     that  >  •■  ingoi 


BIOGRAPHY. 


11!) 


was  appeased.  But  they  were  not  willing  that  the  exhibition 
should  be  continued.  Mr.  Morrison,  to  pacify  them,  took  down  the 
effigy,  and  when  they  saw  the  horns  unshipped,  the  straw  with- 
drawn, the  frame  broken,  and  the  hide  hung  on  a  peg,  as  hides  are 
wont  to  be  hung,  they  were  satisfied  that  all  was  right. 


THAYEXDANEGEA. 


There  are  few  names  in  Indian  history  so  conspicuous  as  tliat 
of  Tliayeiidancgea,  or,  as  lie  was  more  commonly  callccl,  Joseph 
Brant.  lie  was  for  many  years  the  scourge  of  the  frontier  settle- 
ments of  New  York  and  Pcnnsylvaniii,  whose  inhabitants  asso- 
ciated with  him,  in  their  excited  imaginations,  all  that  was  fierce 
and  relentless  in  the  savage  character.  That  they  had  ample 
reasons  for  the  dread  and  hatred  connected  with  his  name,  is  hut 
too  well  attested  by  the  many  deeds  of  rapine  and  slaughter  which 
stand  inseparably  united  with  it  upon  the  pages  of  history ;  and  not- 
v.ithstanding  the  able  .and  benevolent  attemjjt  which  has  recently 
been  made  to  erase  those  stains  from  his  memory,  it  will  be  diffi- 
cult for  any  American  ever  to  look  jack  xipon  the  sanguinary  cata 
logue  of  his  military  achievements  without  a  shudder.  In  the 
hasty  sketch  that  we  shall  give,  we  shall  avail  ourselves  freely  of 
the  valuable  labors  of  Mr.  Stone,  whose  voluminous  life  of  that 
chief,  recently  published,  contains  all  the  facts  which  are  necessary 
for  o\ir  purpose,  and  to  whose  kindne.ss  we  are  indebted  for  the 
use  of  the  admirable  portrait  from  which  our  engraving  was  taken. 
But  while  we  compile  the  facts  from  that  authentic  source,  and 
make  the  due  acknowledgment,  candor  requires  us  to  say  that, 
differing  materially  from  that  ingenious  writer,  in  our  estimate  of 
the  character  of  his  hero,  we  must  be  held  solely  responsible  for  so 
much  of  this  sketch  as  is  merely  matter  of  opinion. 

'^he  parents  of  Brant  were  Mohawks,  residing  at  the  Canajoharie 
castle,  ni  New  York  ;  but  he  is  said  to  have  been  born  on  the  banks 

<  120) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


121 


of  the  Oliio,  in  1712,  during  an  excursion  of  iiis  j)!irent!S  to  tliiit 
region.  He  was  not  a  chief  by  birth,  although  lii.s  family  dcerns  to 
liave  been  one  of  some  con.sicleration ;  and  it  Is  aflirmed  that  he  \va.s 
the  grandson  of  one  of  tlie  five  cliiels  who  visited  England,  in 
1710,  diu-ing  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne. 

In  his  yonlh.  Brant  became  a  favorite  and  protege  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  the  most  celebrated  of  all  the  agents  employed  by  the 
J3ritish  government  in  the  management  of  their  Indian  alfairs;  and 
who,  by  his  talents,  his  conciliatory  manners,  and  his  liberalitv, 
enjoyed  an  unbounded  popularity  among  the  native  tribes.  A  well- 
known  circumstance,  in  the  history  of  this  gentleman,  i.s  thus  related 
by  Mrs.  Grant,  of  Laggan,  in  her  very  a.Teeable  "  .Memoirs  of  an 
American  Lady."  "Becoming  a  widower  in  the  prime  of  life,  he 
connected  himself  with  an  Indian  maiden,  daughter  to  a  .sachem, 
who  possessed  an  uncommonly  agreeable  person,  and  good  under- 
standing; and  whetiier  ever  formally  married  to  him  accordin'r  to 
our  usage  or  not,  coiitinued  to  live  with  him  in  great  union  and 
affection  all  his  life."  Mary  Brant,  or,  as  she  was  called,  Wm 
Mollij,  was  the  j)erson  here  alluded  to.  She  was  the  sister  of  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  and  to  that  union  he  owed  the  patronage  of 
Sir  William  Johnson,  and  the  favor  of  the  British  government, 
which  placed  him  in  the  road  to  promotion.  The  successful  man- 
ner in  which  he  availed  himself  of  these  advantages  is  attributable 
to  his  own  abilities. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  is  said  to  have  been  present  with  Sir 
William  Johnson  at  the  battle  of  Lake  George,  in  which  the  French 
were  defeated,  and  their  commander,  the  Baron  Dieskau,  mortally 
wounded.  lie  served  under  Sir  William  John,son  in  I75G,  and 
again  in  1759,  when  that  commander  gained  a  liigh  reputation  by 
a  brilliant  campaign. 

Among  the  facts  most  lionorable  to  the  memory  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  was  the  attention  which,  at  that  early  day,  he  paid  to  the 

moral  improvement  of  the  Mohawks.     The  political  agents  of  Euro- 
1(1 


122 


TH  AYENDANEGEA. 


pean  governments  have  seldom  concerned  themselves  further  ii\  the 
affairs  of  the  Indians  tiian  to  use  them  in  war,  or  make  them  a 
source  of  profit.  Sir  William  selected  a  number  of  Moiiawk  youths, 
and  sent  them  to  an  Indian  missionary  school,  which  was  esta 
blished  at  Lebanon,  in  Connecticut,  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev. 
Doctor  E.  Wheelock,  afterwards  President  of  Dartmouth  College, 
whicii  grew  out  of  this  small  foundation.  Tliayendanegea,  the 
promising  brother  of  Miss  Molhj,  was  (jue  of  the  lads  thus  selected, 
.  and  the  only  one  who  is  known  to  have  derived  any  benefit  from 
the  discipline  of  the  school-room,  except  Samson  Occum,  who  be- 
came a  preacher  and  an  author.  The  date  of  this  transaction  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  supposed,  witii  reason,  to  have  immediately  ensued 
the  campaign  of  1759.  One  of  lliese  lads,  being  directed  by  Dr. 
Wheelock's  son  to  saddle  his  horse,  refused,  on  the  ground  that  he 
was  a  gentleman's  son,  and  not  obliged  to  do  a  menial  oflice.  "Do 
you  know  what  a  gentleman  is?"  inquired  young  Wheelock.  "I 
do,"  replied  the  aboriginal  youngster;  "a  gentleman  is  a  person 
Avho  keeps  race-horses,  and  drinks  Madeira  wine,  wiiicli  neither  you 
nor  your  fatlier  do — therefore  saddle  the  iiorse  yourself" 

The  education  of  Brant  nnist  have  been  quite  limited,  for,  in 
17(>2,  we  find  hiui  employed  as  an  interpreter,  in  the  service  of 
Mr.  Smith,  a  ujissioiiary,  who  visited  the  Moiiawks  in  that  year; 
and  a  war  breaking  out  shortly  after,  he  engiig(Ml  eagerly  in  a  pur- 
suit more  consonant  to  bis  taste  and  early  habits.  Ho  probably 
served  one  cuinpaign,  and  returned  in  17(i4.  In  the  following  year, 
lie  was  living  at  Canajohiwie,  liavint"-  previously  married  the  daughter 
of  an  Oneida  chief,  and  here  he  remained  ])eaceably  ibr  three  years. 
"He  now  lives  in  a  decent  manner,"  said  a  writer  of  that  dav,  "and 
endeavors  to  teach  his  poor  l)retliren  the  things  of  God,  in  which 
his  own  heart  seems  nuich  engaged.  His  house  is  an  asylum  for 
the  missionaries  in  tliat  wilderness."  Being  frequently  engaged  as 
an  niterpreter  l)y  the  missionaries,  his  opportuniries  for  acquiring 
religious  instruction  were  considerable,  and  he  is  supposed  to  have 


BIOGRAPHY. 


128 


assisted  Dr.  Barclay,  in  1769,  in  revising  tlie  Mohawk  Prayer  Book. 
About  the  year  1771,  he  was  frequently  employed  by  Sir  William 
Johnson  both  at  home  and  upon  various  distant  missions.  He  also 
assisted  Dr.  Stewart  in  translating  tlie  Acts  of  the  A])ostles  into  the 
Moliawk  tongue. 

In  1772  or  3,  Thaycndanegca  became  the  subject  of  serious  reli- 
gious impressions.  He  attaclied  liimseif  to  the  church,  and  was  a 
regular  communicant;  and  from  his  serious  deportment,  and  tlie 
great  anxiety  he  manifested  for  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
among  his  people,  hopes  were  entertained  that  he  would  become  a 
powerful  auxiliary  in  tliat  cause.  In  a  brief  space,  tliose  impres- 
sions were  erased,  and  Brant  resumed  the  trade  of  war,  with  all  its 
savage  horrors,  with  the  .same  avidity  with  which  the  half-tamed 
wolf  returns  to  his  banquet  of  blood. 

Sir  William  Johnson  died  in  1774,  when  the  storm  of  the  Ame- 
rican Revolution  was  lowering  in  the  political  horizon,  and  on  the 
eve  of  bursting.  He  was  succeeded  in  his  title  and  estates  by  his 
son,  Sir  John  Johnson,  and  in  his  official  authority,  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  Indian  department,  by  his  son-in-law.  Colonel  Guy  John- 
son neither  of  whom  inherited  his  talents,  his  virtues,  or  his  popu- 
larity. They  continued,  however,  with  the  aid  of  Brant  and  "  Miss 
Molly,"  who  was  a  woman  of  decided  abilities,  to  sway  a  considera- 
ble influence  over  the  Six  Nations,  and  in  connection  with  Colonel 
John  Butler,  and  his  son  Colonel  Walter  N.  Butler,  became  leaders 
in  some  of  the  darkest  scenes  of  that  memorable  epoch. 

We  are  not  permitted  to  enter  minutely  upon  the  complicated 
intrigues  of  these  individuals,  nor  to  detail  the  atrocities  committed 
under  their  auspices.  Through  their  active  agency,  the  Indians, 
within  the  sphere  of  their  influence,  were  not  only  alienated  from 
the  American  people,  but  brought  forward  as  active  parties  in  the 
war.  The  American  Congress,  and  the  authorities  of  New  York, 
endeavored  in  vain  to  dissuade  the  Johnsons  from  enlisting  the 
Indians  in  this  unhappy  contest;  but  they  persisted,  with  a  full 


m- 

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124 


THAYENDANEGEA, 


kno\vle(.l<rc  of  the  horrors  attendant  on  the  warfare  of  savages ;  and 
It  is  now  ascertained  that  Sir  Guy  Carleton  gave  the  sanction  of  his 
great  and  wortliy  name  to  this  unnatural  and  dislionorable  form  (jf 
hostility.  The  consequence  was  that  tlie  Indians  were  turned  loose 
upon  tlie  frontiers,  and  that  a  war  of  tlie  most  cruel  and  externunating 
character  ensued  between  those  who  iiad  once  Ijeen  ncighljors. 

Tliesc  outrages  were  the  more  to  be  deplored;  as  tliey  might,  to 
a  great  degree,  have  been  prevented.  Tiie  American  llevolution 
\\as  not  a  sudden  ebullition  of  poi)ular  lury,  nor  were  the  leaders 
mere  adventurers,  reckless  of  consequences.  It  resulted  from  the 
deliberate  resolves  of  a  whole  people,  seeking  the  redress  of  griev- 
ances, and  who  desired  to  purchase  jwlitical  Ireedom  with  the 
smallest  possil)le  e.\j)enditure  of  human  life.  It  was  directed 
throughout  by  men  of  the  highest  character  for  talents  and  moral 
worth — men  who  ri.sked  every  thing  in  the  contest,  and  who  had 
too  much  reputation  at  stake  to  be  careless  of  jjublic  opinion. 
Tlu>y  knew  that  a  civil  war,  under  the  liest  auspices,  is  usually 
fruitful  of  scenes  of  private  revenge  and  vindictive  outrage;  and 
from  the  first  tliey  enik-avored,  by  their  counsels  and  e\';un|)le,  to 
e.vclude  from  this  conflict  all  unnecessary  violence,  and  to  give  it  a 
tone  of  magnanimity  and  forbearance  Especially  did  they  depre- 
cate the  employment  of  the  savage  tribes,  whose  known  rule  of 
warfu'eis  extermination,  without  regard  to  age  or  sex — .who  acknow- 
ledge none  of  those  humane  regulations  which,  in  modern  times, 
have  disarmed  war  of  many  of  its  liorrors;  and  who,  having  no  inte- 
rest in  tlie  event  of  this  contest,  would  only  increase  the  effusion 
of  blood  without  strengthening  the  hands  or  gaining  the  friendship 
of  either  party  While,  therefore,  they  declined  tlie  assistance  of 
the  Indians,  they  earnestly  besought  the  Briti.sh  authorities  to 
jiursiie  a  similar  policy.  It  was  greatly  to  be  deplored  that  other 
counsels  prevailed  The  British  officers,  in  the  /eal  of  tlieir  loyalty, 
;iih1  from  contempt  for  those  whom  they  considered  as  traitors,  were 
by  no  means  choice  in  the  measures  they  adopted  to  suppress  tiie 


BIOGRAPHY. 


125 


rebellion;  and  not  being  inhabitants  of  the  colonies,  having-  neither 
pro[)er1j  nor  families  exposed  to  violence,  ihoy  did  not  feel  the 
same  personal  interest  wliich  the  colonists  felt  in  the  prevention  of 
lawless  ontrage. 

About  the  year  1776,  Thayenda)iegea  became  the  princijjal  war 
chief  of  the  confederacy  of  the  Six  Nations — it  being  an  ancient 
nsagc  to  confer  that  station  upon  a  Mohawk.  lie  had  not,  at  that 
time,  greatly  distinguished  himself  as  a  warrior,  and  we  are  at  a  loss 
to  account  for  his  sudden  elevation,  unless  we  suppose  that  he  owed 
it,  in  sotTio  degree  at  least,  to  the  patronage  of  the  Johnsons,  and  to 
the  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  he  was  placed.  It  was  deemed 
important  by  the  British  to  secure  the  alliance  of  the  Six  Nations. 
Little  Abraham,  the  chief  of  tiie  Mohawks,  was  friendly  to  tlie 
colonists;  other  of  the  older  warriors  may  have  felt  the  same  predi- 
lection, while  Brant,  wliose  ambition  was  equal  to  his  ability  and 
address,  may  have  been  less  scrupulous  in  regard  to  the  service 
that  would  bo  expected  from  the  j)artisan  v,ho  should  lead  the 
Indian  forces.  With  the  olHce  of  leader,  he  actjuired  the  title  of 
"Captain  Brant,"  by  which  he  was  afterwards  known. 

Mr.  Stone,  in  his  "Life  of  I3rant,"  remarks,  in  reference  to  this 
appointment :  "  For  the  prosecution  of  a  border  warfare,  the  ofTicers 
of  the  crown  could  scarcely  have  engaged  a  more  valuable  auxiliary. 
Distinguished  alike  for  his  addrt;ss,  his  activity,  and  his  courage; 
pos.sessing,  in  point  of  statun>  and  symmetry  of  person,  tin;  advan- 
tage of  most  men  even  among  his  own  well-formed  race — tall,  erect, 
and  majestic,  with  the  air  and  mien  of  one  born  to  command — 
havinii-,  as  it  were,  been  a  man  of  war  from  his  boyhood — his  name 
was  a  tower  of  strength  among  the  warriors  of  the  wilderness.  Still 
more  extensive  was  his  influence  rendered,  by  the  circumstance 
that  he  had  been  much  employed  in  the  civil  service  of  the  Indian 
department,  under  Sir  William  Johnson,  by  whom  he  was  often 
deputed  upon  embassies  among  the  tribes  of  the  confc.Ieracy,  and 
to  those  yet  more  distant,  upon  the  great  lakes  and  rivers  of  the 


123 


TIIAYENDANEGEA. 


north-west,  by  reason  of  whicli  liis  know  ledge  of  tlie  uliole  eouutry 
and  people  was  aecuratc  and  extensive." 

Immediately  after  receiving  tiiis  appointment,  Draiit  made  his 
first  voyage  to  England  ;  and  liis  biographer  suggests  that  lliis  visit 
may  have  resuUed  from  a  h(!sitation,  on  the  part  of  the  cliiet",  in 
regard  to  committing  iiimself  in  the  war  with  tin;  colonies.  A  [or- 
tion  of  the  confederacy  inclined  to  the  colonial  side  of  tlie  contro- 
versy;  others  were  disposed  to  be  neutral.  Brant  and  some  (  f  I.  a 
friends  favored  the  British,  wiiile  some  brilliant,  snciesses,  recently 
gained  by  the  Americans,  "presented  anotluir  view  of  tin;  case, 
which  was  certaini}'  entitled  to  grave  consideration."  By  making 
the  voyage,  he  gained  time,  and  wusenaliled  to  observe  for  himself 
the  evidences  of  the  power  and  resources  of  the  king,  and  to  jutlge 
how  far  it  would  be  wise  to  embark  his  own  fortunes  on  the  side 
of  his  ancient  ally.  He  was  well  received  in  England,  and  atlmitted 
to  the  best  society.  Having  associated  with  educated  men  all  his 
hfe,  and  having  natnrally  an  easy  and  graceful  carriage,  it  is  pro- 
bable tliat  his  manners  and  conversation  entitled  him  to  be  thus 
received ;  and  as  he  was  an  "  Indian  King,"  he  was  too  valuable  an 
ally  to  be  neglected.  Among  those  who  took  a  fancy  to  him  was 
Boswcll,  "and  an  intimacy  seems  to  have  existed  between  him  and 
the  Mohawk  ehief,  since  the  latter  sat  for  his  picture  at  the  request 
of  this  most  amiable  of  egotists."  We  can  imagine  that  a  shrewd 
Indian  chief  would  have  been  a  rare  lion  for  Boswcll.  He  also  sat 
to  Ilomney  for  a  portrait  for  the  Earl  of  Warwick. 

After  a  short  visit,  during  which  he  I'eceived  the  hospitality  of 
many  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  and  was  much  caressed  at  court, 
he  returned  to  America,  confirmed  in  his  predilection  for  the  royal 
cause,  and  determined  to  take  up  the  hatchet  against  the  Americans, 
agreeably  to  tlie  stipulations  of  a  treaty  wliich  he  had  made  with 
Sir  Guy  Carleton.  He  landed  privately  somewlnjre  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  New  York,  and  pursued  his  journey  alone  and  secretly 
through  the  woods  to  Canada,  crossing  the  whole  breadth  of  the 


BIOGRAPHY, 


12< 


State  of  New  York,  by  a  route  whicli  could  not  have  embraced  a 
sliorter  distance  lliaii  three  hundred  uiiU's. 

Tlio  dctorniination  of  the;  Mohawk  chief  to  take  up  arms  caused 
great  roirret  in  the  noiirhborinir  colonies,  where  everv  exertion  had 
Ijcen  mtuJe  to  induce  the  Six  Nations  to  remain  neutral;  and  many 
induential  individuals  continued  to  the  last  to  use  their  personal 
edorts  to  (.'Ifect  liiat  desirable  object.  Amonof  others,  President 
Wheelock  interfered,  and  wrote  a  long  epistle  to  hi.s  former  pupil, 
in  which  he  urired  npon  him,  as  a  man  and  a  Christian,  the  various 
considerations  that  should  induce  him  to  stand  alodf  from  this  con- 
test between  the  king  and  his  suljjects.  "  Brant" — we  quote  aiiain 
from  Mr.  Stone — "  replied  very  ingeniously.  Among  other  things, 
he  referred  to  his  former  residence  with  the  doctor — recalled  the 
happy  hours  he  had  spent  under  his  roof.— and  referred  especially 
to  his  prayers,  and  the  family  devotions  to  whicii  he  had  listened, 
lie  .said  he  could  never  forget  those  prayers;  and  one  pa,ssa<rc  in 
jiarticular  was  so  often  repeated,  that  it  could  never  be  effaced  from 
his  mind.  It  was  among  other  of  his  good  preceptor's  petitions, 
'  that  they  might  be  aiile  to  live  as  good  subjects — to  fear  God,  and 
honor  the  King  '  " 

The  first  occasion  on  which  -we  find  Brant  conspicuously  men- 
tioned as  a  commander,  is  at  "the  Cedars."  a  post  held  bv  Colonel 
Bedell,  with  three  hundred  and  ninetv  j)roviiicials,  whicii  was 
assailed  liy  Captain  Forster,  with  six  hundred  British  troops  and 
Inilians  the  latter  led  i)y  Brant.  The  American  commander  could 
easily  have  defended  his  position,  but  was  intimidated  bv  a  threat 
fiom  the  enemy,  "that,  should  the  siege  continue,  and  aiiv  of  the 
Indians  be  .slain,  it  would  be  iin|)o.ssible.  in  the  event  of  a  surrender, 
for  the  British  commander  to  prevent  a  general  mas.sacre;"'  and 
were  induced,  by  "these  decejitive  and  unjustifiable  means,"'  as 
they  are  correctly  termed  by  General  Wasliington,  to  surrender. 
Brant  is  praised  by  his  biographer  for  having  e.verted  himself,  after 
the  surrender,  to  prevent  the  massacre  of  the  prisoners,  and  particu- 


1'2S 


TIIAYENDANKCiEA. 


larly  for  resiniing  from  torture  Captain  John  McKinstry,  wluMn  tlie 
Indians  woro  prcparintr  to  hnrn.  Wc  confess  that  we  see  nothing 
to  approve  in  tlio  wliole  transaction.  Tiie  British  and  Indian 
commanders  were  hoth  hound  hy  tlie  capitulation  to  ])roteot  the 
jjrisoncrs — they  were  hound  l)y  tlio  plainest  dictates  of  humanity, 
as  well  as  l)y  the  code  of  military  honor — and  we  cannot  alford  to 
])raisc  men  for  doiiiyj  merely  a  duty,  the  nejflect  of  which  would 
have  covered  them  with  infamy.  The  alleffation  that  the  Indians 
could  not  he  controlled,  wliicli  \\c  find  repejited  on  many  occasions, 
was  well  characterized,  by  the  pure  and  hi<fh-minded  Washington, 
as  "deceptive,"  for  there  an;  no  troo])s  who.se  leaders  exerci.se  over 
them  a  more  absolute  control.  But  there  can  l)e  no  apology  offered 
for  the  employment  of  savages  who  couM  not  bo  restrained  from 
tlie  murder  of  j)risoners ;  and  Sir  Cuy  Carleton,  in  using  this 
species  of  for  c,  lias  left  an  indelible  blot  on  his  name.  Nor  can 
we  excuse  Brant  for  delil)erately  engaging  in  such  a  warfare.  He 
had  received  the  education  of  a  civilized  man,  had  read  the  Scri|)- 
tures,  and  professed  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  and  he  knew  that  the 
atrocities  practised  l)y  the  Indians  were  unjustifiable.  The  Mo- 
hawks had  no  interest  in  this  quarrel;  it  was  wholly  indifferent  to 
them  whether  the  government  should  be  royal  or  republican  ;  and 
they  engaged  in  it  as  mercenaries,  employed  ])y  a  distant  govern- 
ment to  fight  against  their  own  neighl)ors.  The  principle  involved 
was  I)eyond  their  comprehension  :  Brant  might  have  had  some  idea 
of  it,  l)ut  if  he  had  any  actual  knowledge  on  the  subject,  he  must 
liave  known  tliat  neither  party  acknowledged  the  Indians  as  having 
any  riuhts  at  slake.  They  could  have  had  no  inducement  to  take 
either  side  hut  the  lust  for  l)lood  and  plunder.  We  mu.st  clearly, 
therefore,  draw  a  broad  line  of  distinction  between  such  men  as 
Philip,  I'ontiac,  and  Tecumthe,  who  fought  in  defence  of  their 
native  soil,  animated  by  a  high-toned  patriotism,  and  Thayend^i- 
negea,  who  was  hired  to  fight  in  a  quarrel  in  which  he  had  no 
interest. 


BIOfiRAI'IIY. 


120 


Among  tho  various  i-IForts  made  to  intliico  tlio  Indians  to  remain 
ncntral,  and  to  soften  tiie  iiorrors  of  this  war,  hy  excliulinfr  the 
(h-endfiil  a<{oiicy  of  the  tomaliawk  and  (ire-brand,  was  a  conference 
with  IJrant,  sought  by  fleneral  llcridnier.  The  hitter  was  a  sub 
stanliai  citize'i,  resi(lin<r  on  tlie  Mohawk  river,  near  tlie  Little  Falls, 
and  ill  that  part  of  the  country  most  exposed  to  the  incursions  of 
the  Six  Nations.  1I(?  was  a  man  of  sairacity  and  courage,  whosis 
abilities  had  rrcommended  him  to  his  countrymen  as  a  leader  in 
their  liorder  wars;  and  having  taken  up  arms  in  the  sacred  cause 
of  liberty,  and  in  defence  of  tiie  firesides  of  his  neigid)ors,  he  was 
chosen  u  general  oHicer.  He  had  been  the  friend  and  nei"libor  of 
J^rant,  and  now  sought  a  meeting  with  that  chief  for  the  purpose 
of  using  his  personal  influence  to  detach  him  from  the  war;  or  per- 
haps to  drive  him  from  the  equivocal  position  he  then  occupied,  by 
bringing  out  his  real  views,  so  that  ho  might  be  trusted  as  a  friend 
or  treated  as  an  enemy. 

They  met  near  Unadilla.  The  parties  were  encamped  two  miles 
apiu't,  and  about  midway  between  them  a  temporary  shed  was 
erected,  sufficiently  large  to  shelter  two  hundred  persons.  It  was 
stipulated  that  their  arms  were  ^o  be  left  at  their  respective  encamp- 
ments. Hero  they  met,  each  attended  by  a  few  followers,  and  a 
long  conversation  ensued,  in  the  course  of  which  Brant  became 
ofTended  at  some  remark  that  was  made,  "  and  by  a  signal  to  the 
warriors  attending  him  at  a  short  distance,  they  ran  back  to  their 
encampment,  and  soon  afterwards  appeared  again  with  their  rifles, 
several  of  which  were  discharged,  while  the  shrill  war-whoop  rang 
through  the  forest."  What  means  were  used  by  Ilerjdmer  to 
counteract  this  treachery,  we  are  not  told  ;  but  it  appears  that  the 
parties  separated  without  bloodshed. 

A  singular  version  is  given  of  the  meeting  between  these  leaders, 
which  occurred  on  the  following  morning,  by  apj)ointment.  Ge- 
neral Herkimer,  we  are  told,  selected  a  person  named  Waggoner, 
with  three  associates,  to  pc^rfbrm    "a  high  and  important  duty." 

17 


UIOGUAIMIY. 


131 


lialc  tlic  I'diidiK't  III"  Uriiiil,  wlio  I'vidiiitly  sotiglit  to  pidVDko  ii  quar 
ri'l  wliirli  iiiiylit  allnnl  a  |inlfiii'f  lor  l)l(to(l,slit'(l. 

From  this  time  uc  coiitcmpliitc!  witli  loss  pliasuic  the  (•liara(M('r 
of  the  lii^rjily  <X\(\vt\  Mohawk,  wiio,  from  tht;  lofty  aiid  iioliit".  cmi- 
iiciici!  (Ill  wliicii  he  had  placed  iiimself,  as  an  e.\aiii|)le  and  teacher 
of  civili/.atioii,  descended  snddeidy  into  a  common  marander. 
Throwing;  aside  all  j)rofession  of  nentralily,  lie  now  at1end<'d  a 
council  iield  hy  Urilish  commissioners,  and  iili'd^cd  himself  and 
his  people  to  take  up  the  hatchet  in  his  Majesty's  service. 

"  P'rom  that  day,"  says  his  biographer,  Mr.  Stone,  "  Thavenda- 
ne),rea  was  the  acknowledtfcd  chief  of  tht;  8i.x  Nations,  and  he  .suoii 
became  one  of  the  master  spirits  of  the  motley  forces  employed  by 
Great  Britain  in  her  attempts  to  rei'over  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
to  annoy  the  other  settlements  of  what  then  eon.stitutcd  the  north- 
western frontier.  Whether  in  the  conduct  of  a  campaign,  or  of  a 
scouting  party,  in  tlie  ])itched  battle,  or  tlie  foray,  this  crafty  and 
dauntless  ciueftain  was  sure  to  be  one  of  the  most  eHicieiit,  as  he 
was  one  of  the  bravest,  of  those  engaged.  Combining  with  the 
native  hardihood  and  sagacity  of  his  race,  the  advantages  of  educa- 
tion and  civilized  life — in  acquiring  which  he  had  lost  nothing  of 
his  activity  and  power  of  endurance — lie  became  the  most  powerful 
border  foe  with  whom  the  provincials  had  to  contend,  and  his  name 
was  a  terror  to  the  land,  llis  movements  were  at  once  so  secret 
and  so  rapid,  that  he  seemed  almost  to  be  clothed  with  the  power 
of  ubiquity." 

One  of  his  earliest  military  movements  was  a  descent  upoii  the 
defenceless  settlement  of  Cherry  Valley,  undertaken  for  the  pur- 
pose of  killing  and  capturing  liie  inhabitants,  and  devastating  their 
jiroperty.  An  accident  saved  them,  for  that  time,  from  tiie  blow. 
It  happened,  that  as  Brant  and  his  warriors  were  about  to  issue 
from  a  wood  in  which  they  lurked,  to  attack  a  private  house,  tiie 
residence  of  Colonel  Campbell,  some  children,  who  had  formed 
themselves  into  a  military  corps,  were  seen  parading  with  their 


l:!2 


THAYENDANEGEA. 


woodou  guns  in  front  of  the  mansion,  and  tile  Indians,  mistaking 
tlicm  ft)!"  real  soldiers,  retired.  Balked  of  tlicir  prey,  they  slunk 
into  the  wood,  and  lay  concealed,  brooding'  over  their  schemes  of 
malevolent  mischief  Unhappily  at  this  moment  a  promising  young 
American  odicer.  Lieutenant  Wormwood,  travelling  on  horseback, 
with  one  allendant,  reached  tiie  spot,  and  was  shot  down  by  tin.' 
Indians,  ami  scalped  hij  Brant's  own  hand.  His  biographer  adds, 
that  the  chief  "lamented  the  death  of  this  young  man.  They  were 
not  oiil\'  acquaintances,  but  friends."  Yet  he  took  the  scalp  with 
his  own  hand. 

A  most  mehmcholy  illustration  of  the  wickedness  of  einj)loyiug 
savasH'S  in  war  is  alforded  in  the  tragic  fate  of  Miss  McCrea — a 
lovely  young  woman,  engaged  to  a  British  officer,  and  on  her  way 
to  meet  and  be  united  with  him,  when  she  was  captured,  murdered, 
and  mangled  in  the  most  shocking  manner,  by  the  Indians  attached 
to  the  British  army.  This  occurred  on  the  northern  frontier,  and 
at  about  tin'  period  to  which  we  have  brought  this  sketch.  About 
the  saiu''  time,  an  Indian  secretly  entered  the  house  of  the  American 
General  Schuyler,  for  liie  purpose  of  assassinating  that  illustrious 
person,  whose  life  was  saved  i)y  the  fidelity  of  his  servants. 

We  notice  ilieso  events  merely  to  show  tlie  character  of  the  war 
which  was  waged  upon  the  froi'.tiers,  and  in  which  Brant  was  a 
conspicuous  man — an  uns])aring  warfare  against  j)rivate  individuals 
and  |)rivate  property.  But  we  cannot,  in  a  brief  oullinj  like  this, 
enter  ujxm  ;i  minute  nai-rative  of  tiie  exploits  of  that  ciiieitain,  who 
was  constantly  in  the  field,  sometimes  with  the  British  forces,  but 
more  fre(pieiitly  leading  parties  of  Indians  and  Tories  against  the 
settlements.  Ilis  most  important  service,  about  this  period,  was  at 
the  l)attl('  of  Ori.skany,  where  General  Herkimer,  with  a  small  body 
ol  provincials,  came  into  conllict  with  an  Indian  forci;  led  by  Brant. 
Tlie  latter  had  selected  a  ])osition  with  adminilile  skill,  and  I'ormeil 
;ui  amiuisradc  in  a  defile,  through  which  the  Americans  were  to 
pass  and  fell  suddenly  upon  the  troops  while  they  were  crossing  a 


J3I0GRAPIIY. 


188 


ravine.  The  Americans  were  thrown  into  irretrieval)le  disorder, 
hut  fouj^ht  wilh  courage.  General  Herkimer  was  des])erately 
woiuKied  early  in  the  engagement,  but  caused  himself  to  be  seated 
on  his  saddle,  at  the  lout  of  a  tree,  agi'inst  which  he  leaned  for  sup- 
lK)rt,  and  in  this  position  continued  t(.  'irect  tiie  battle,  with  una- 
bated coolness  and  judgment.  'I'iie  conflict  was  fierce,  and  the 
slaughter  great.  The  Tories  and  savages,  superior  in  nund)ors, 
closed  around  the  Americans,  fighting  hand  to  hand,  and  the  gal- 
lant little  army  of  Ilcrkinicr  seemed  doomed  to  destruction,  when 
a  violent  storm,  bursting  suddenly  upon  them,  sepanited  the  com- 
batants for  about  an  hour.  Tiie  Americans  availed  tliemselves  of 
this  res])ite  to  prepare  to  renew  tiie  action,  and  in  tlie  event  effected 
a  masterly  retreat,  under  tlic  or;ha-s  of.  their  intrepid  commander, 
who  was  Ijrougiit  oif  on  a  ru(h'ly  constructed  litter.  01  this  brave 
and  e.Kcellent  man  it  is  told,  that,  during  the  hottest  juTiod  of  the 
Ijattle,  while  sitting  wounded  upon  iiis  saddle,  and  propped  again.st 
a  tree,  he  deliberately  took  a  lin(KT-bo.\-  from  his  jiocket,  lighted 
ills  pipe,  and  smoked  witii  perfect  composure;  and  when  iiis  men, 
seeing  him  expo.sed  to  the  whole  fire  of  tlie  enemy,  proposed  to 
remove  him  to  a  place  wiiere  there  would  be  less  danger,  he  said, 
"  No,  I  will  face  the  enemy."'  He  ilid  not  long  survive  the  liattle. 
Both  jwrties  claimed  the  \ictory.  It  was  a  .well-fought  field,  in 
which  Brant  showed  himself  a  consummate  leader. 

At  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  in  177*^,  Mr.  Stone  relates  that 

s  on   the  8usque- 


"  Thayendanegea  returned  to  his  former  haunt 
hanna,  Oghkwaga,  and  Unadilla.  He  .soon  proved  hiuiself  an  act- 
ive and  dreaded  [lartisan.  No  matter  lor  the  dilhcullies  or  the 
distance,  wlicnever  a  blow  could  lie  struck  to  any  advantage,  Jo.seph 
Brant  was  sure  to  be  there.  Frequent,  moreover,  were  the  insimu^es 
in  which  individuals,  and  even  whole  families,  disappeared,  with- 
out any  knowledge,  on  the  part  of  these  who  were  left,  that  an 
I'uemy  I. ad  been  there.  The  smoking  ruins  of  the  cabins,  the 
charred  bones  of  the  dead,  ami  the  slaughtered  carcasses  of  domes- 


1:5-1 


THAYENDANEGEA. 


fie  unininls.  ucro  llii;  only  testiinoiiiiti.s  of  the  caiiso  of  tlic  catiustrophn, 
until  the  return  of  ;i  ciijjtivc,  or  the  ilisclosure  of  rsome  prisonei 
ttiken  from  the  foe,  furnished  more  delinite  iuforination.  IJul  there 
is  DO  good  evidence  that  Dranl  wa.s  himself  a  j)articipator  iu  secret 
murders,  or  attacks  upon  isolated  individuals  or  families;  and  thert; 
is  much  reason  to  believe  that  the  bad  feelings  of  many  of  the 
loyalists  induced  tlieni  to  j)erpetrate  greater  enormities  themselves, 
and  prompt  the  parties  of  Indians  whom  tliey  often  led,  to  commit 
greater  barbarities  than  the  savages  wiiuld  have  done  had  they 
been  left  to  themselves." 

Wc  have  given  the  whole  of  the  above  paragraph — fact  and  infe- 
rence— in  order  that  the  character  of  JJrant  may  have  llie  full  Ijene- 
lit  of  the  defence  set  up  by  his  biographer.  Negative  proof  is,  at 
best,  unsatisfactory;  and  it  woulii  not  be  strange  if  there  were  in 
fact  no  evidence  of  the  [larlicipation  of  the  leader  in  deeds  so  secret 
as  tliose  alludefl  to.  'J'hat  hi;  was  the  master  spirit  of  the  predatory 
warfare  waged  against  the  frontier  settlements  of  New  York,  is  dis- 
tinctlv  asserted  in  the  conunencement  of  the  paragraph,  and  that 
warfare  consisti'd  almost  entire]}' of  "secret  nuuxiers,  and  attacks 
upon  j)rivate  individuals  or  families."  And  wc  see  no  reason  for 
drawing  a  distinction  iietween  himself  and  tiie  Johnsons  and  But- 
lers who  directed  the'  measures  of  the  loyalist  inhabitants  of  tiiat 
region.  The  sin  and  the  slijuue  of  these  men  consisted  in  warrinsr 
at  all  )i[)on  tiie  hemes  of  the  jiejisantry — in  carrying  tiie  atrocities 
of  murder  ;iud  arson  to  the  firesides  of  the  inhabitants — in  turning 
loose  bauds  of  savages,  whether  red  or  white,  to  burn  houses,  d(!vas- 
tate  fields,  and  slauirhtcr  women  and  chddren.  There  can  be  no 
aiiolo'jv  for  such  iulmman  deeds ;  and  it  is  in  vain  to  attempt,  by 
nice  distinctions,  to  discriminate  between  the  heads  that  plamicil. 
aUvl  the  brutal  hands  that  |)erpetrated,  schemes  ,so  fnuight  with 
horror — unless  it  be  to  pronounce  the  heavier  n.aledi(ti<in  on  the 
former — upon  those  who  oriirinaled  tiie  |)l;ui  with  a  full  luiowled-ge 
of  the  fi'arful  outrages  which   must  attend  its  execution,  and  wJ'o 


BIOGRAPHY. 


185 


ji^  -B  IT?  1  in  such  ii  wtirfare  after  liaviiig  witnessed,  even  in  one 

instance,  its  'lireful  cftects. 

We  iiavc  not  room  to  enter  into  a  detailed  account  of  the  munk'rs 
and  hurninys  of  this  energetic  marauder;  a  general  statenieni,  <rt)in 

tile  pages  of  the  hiogra])lier  already  quoted,  will  be  sufficient  for 
our  pur|)ose.  "The  inhabitants  around  the  whole  border,  from 
Saratoga  north  of  Johnstown,  and  west  to  the  German  Flats,  thence 
soulh  stretching  down  to  Unadilla,  and  thence  eastwardlv  crossing 
the  Susquehanna,  along  Charlotte  river  to  Ilarpersfield,  and  thence 
haclv  to  All)any — were  necessarily  an  armed  yeomanry,  watching 
fot   tli'iiisclvcs,   and   standing   sentinels   for  each   other,  in  turn; 

■ar,  ■  daily  by  con/lieting  rumors;  now  admonislicd  of  the  ap- 
uioiua  of  the  foe  in  the  night  by  tie  glaring  flae.esof  a  neighbor's 
liouse;  nv  comp(dled  suddenlv  io  escape  from  his  approach,  at  a 
time  and  ill  a  direction  the  least  expected.  Such  was  the  tenure 
of  liii  !!a:i  existence  around  the  condnes  of  this  whole  distiict  of 
country,  from  the  spring  of  1777  to  the  end  of  the  contest  in  17S-2."' 
The  destruction  of  the  settlement  of  Wyoming  by  a  British  force 
under  Colonel  John   J3utler,  of  three  hundred  regulars  and  Tories, 


and  five  hundred  Indiaiij 


has  Ijfcii  recorded  in  the  histories  of  the 


Revolution,  and  rendered   imniort 


d   in  the  verse  of  Caninhe 


\vas  signalized  by  cruelty  and   perfidy  such  as  have 


It 


never 


'.\celled 


1j( 
;ind  altliough  it  now  appears  that  iiia'iv  cxaggeralioi 


en 


is 


were  published    n  --tlation  to  it,  the  inelancholv  truths  that  rei 


nam 


uiicoiilraditt' 

everlasting  i. 

T 


•  liTicient  to  stamp  this  dark  transaction  with 


lie  parlicipati  i  .1  ,'  ant  in  this  expedition  is  denied  by  ^Fr. 
Stone,  who  says,  "  \i Hither  Captain  Brant  was  at  any  time  in  com- 
j'ary  with  this  expedition,  is  donbtful  ;  but  it  is  certain,  in  the  face 
of  every  historical  aulhorit  v  Uritish  and  American,  that,  so  far  from 
iii-ng  engaged  in  thi  battle,  he  was  maiiv  miles  distant  a1  the  lime 


occurrence     Sia  h   has  been   tl 


le  imiform  test'i.ioiiv  of  tiie 


Hrilish  olilccns  cwix 


iiri'd   in   that 


expedition,  and  such 


Iwavs 


VM] 


TIIAYENDANEGEA. 


the  word  of  Tliayentlaiicfreix  liimsclf "  lie  also  alludes  to  a  letter 
written  after  the  death  of  Brant,  by  his  son,  to  the  jjoet  Campbell, 
in  wiiich  tiie  younger  Brant  is  said  to  have  "suecessfnlly  vindi 
cated  his  father's  memory  from  calumny,"  and  to  one  received  by 
himself  from  a  Mr.  Frey,  the  son  of  a  loyalist,  who  was  engaged 
in  that  atrocious  alFair. 

We  do  not  think  the  point  placed  in  issue  by  this  denial  jf  suffi- 
cient importance  to  induce  us  to  spend  much  time  in  its  examina- 
tion. The  character  of  Brant  ^  n-'l  rot  bo  materially  affected  by 
settliiiy-  it  on'>  way  or  the  other,  .  ■  mas.sacre  at  Wyoming  dif- 
fers in  no  es.senti;il  particular  from  a  ;,iml)er  of  .sanguinary  deeds 
in  which  tliat  chief  was  the  acknowledged  leader;  and  it  was  part 
of  a  svsleiii  which  unavoidably  led  to  such  cruelties.  It  is  not 
improl)al)U'  tiiat  Brant  Iiimself  took  tliis  vi(>\v  of  the  question,  for, 
altliough  lie  lived  thirty  vein's  after  that  affair,  during  the  whole 
of  wliich  tim(>  lie  was  mentioned  by  British  and  American  writers 
as  one  of  its  leaders,  and  the  chief  instigator  of  the  cruelties  com- 
mitted, lie  does  not  ajipear  to  have  ever  publicly  disclaimed  the 
coiinei'tion  with  it  imputed  to  liim.  "  Gertrude  of  Wyoming,"  one 
of  the  noblest  monuiiieiils  of  British  genius,  was  familiarly  known 
wherever  the  English  language  was  spoken,  and  the  American 
people  were  soothed  by  the  circmnstanc(>  that  the  "  Monster  Brant" 
and  his  deeds  were  denoiuiced  by  an  Kuglish  bard  of  tiie  highest 
standing.  Cam})l)eli  undertook  to  spurn  from  the  national  character 
the  foul  stain  of  those  dastardly  and  wicked  munhrs,  and  to  place 
tli(>  o|)jirol)riuiii  on  the  heads  of  certain  individuals — and  none 
denied  the  justice  of  the  decree.  Braut  was  an  educated  man,  who 
miuiiled  in  the  best  provincial  .society,  and  corresponded  with  many 
gentltMuen  in  Europe  and  America  lie  certainly  knew  the  posi- 
tion in  regard  to  p\i!)lic  opinion  which  be  occupied,  and  had  the 
means  to  rectify  the  wrong,  if  any  existed.  It  would  be  a  singular 
fact,  too,  W  "  enri/  historical  authority,  British  and  American," 
concurred   in   a  statement  which   the  "uniform   icstimony  of  the 


BIOORAPHY. 


187 


British  f.mc.  rs  engaged  in  the  battle"  contradicted,  and  "  that  sncli 
was  always  the  word  of  Thajendanegea  himself,"  and  yet  thai 
no  formal  refutation  should  have  been  attempted  in  the  lifetime 
of  the  chief,  nor  until  forty-five  years  after  the  event.  I'lie 
testimony  of  the  British  oflicers  would  have  been  satisfactory;  but 
we  apprehend  that  the  mere  hearsay  evidence  of  two  of  the  sons 
of  the  actors  in  these  events,  will  hardly  be  received  now  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  unanimous  and  uncontradicted  statements  of  contem- 
porary writers. 

The  destruction  of  tlie  delightful  settlement  of  the  German  Flats, 
in  177S,  was  the  admitted  e.vpluit  of  Brant.     The  inhabitants,  pro- 
videntially advised  of  his  secret  march   u])on  them,  were  hastily 
gathered  together— men,  women,  and  children—into  two  little  forts, 
Herkimer  an(,l    Dayton.      The  chief  crept   upon   them   with   his 
usnally  stialtliy  pace,  "unconscious  that  his  approach  had  been 
notified  to  tlie  people  in  season  to  enable  them  to  escape  the  blow 
of  his  uplifted  arm.     Before  the  dawn  he  was  on  foot,  and  his  war- 
riors sweeping  through  the  settlement,  so  that  the  torch  might  be 
almost  simultaneously  applied  to  every  building  it  contained.    Just 
as  the  day  was  breaking  in   tlie  east,  the  tires  were  kindled,  and 
the  whole  section  of  the  valU'y  was  s[)eedily  illuminated  by  the 
flames  of  houses  and  barns,  and  all  things  else  comliustible."  Such 
is  the  account  of  the  writer  wdio  contends  "that  there  is  no  "-ood 
evidence  that  Brant  was  himself  a  participator"  in  su.-h  transac- 
tions.    There  were  burnt,  on  this  occasion,  sixty-three  dwelling- 
liGuscs,   fifty-seven    barns,    three   grist-mills,   and    two    saw-mills 
What  the  fate  of  the  inhabitpduts  would  have  been,  had  they  remained 
in  their  houses,  as  Brant  supposed  them  to  be  when  he  ordered  the 
firebrands  to  Ijc  applied,  our  readers  may  readily  imagine.     It  does 
not  appear  that  the  forts  were  molested,  nor  does  Brant  seem,  on 
this   occasion,  to   have  sought   coUision  with   armed    men.     The 
marauders   retired,  chagrineil  "that  neither  scalps  nor   prisoners 

were  to  grace  their  triumj)iis;"  and  the  .settlement,  which  but  the 
18 


i:58 


THAYf:NDANEGEA. 


day  before,  for  len  niilos,  had  smiled  in  plenty  and  li<';nity,  was  now 
houseless  and  destitute." 

In  the  same  year  Cherry  Valley  was  again  ravaged,  and  those 
enormities  repeated,  of  whicii  we  have  perhaps  already  related  toe 
manv.  Among  the  numerous  murders  ])erpetrated  on  this  occasion 
were  those  of  the  whole  family  of  Mr.  Wells,  except  a  Ijoy  whr 
was  at  school,  at  Albany,  and  who  ai'teru  ards  became  a  distinguislied 
member  of  the  bar.  "  The  destruction  of  the  family  of  Mr.  Wells 
was  marked  by  circumstances  of  peculiar  barbarity.  It  was  boasted 
by  one  of  the  Tories  tliat  he  had  lulle<l  Mr.  Wells  while  engaged  in 
prayer — certainly  a  happy  moment  for  a  soul  to  wing  its  flight  to 
anotlier  state  of  t'.vistence ;  but  what  the  degree  of  hardihood  that 
could  boast  of  comj)assing  the  deatli  of  an  unarmed  man  at  such  a 
moment!  Ilis  si.ster  Jane  was  di.stingiiisiied  alike  fj)r  her  beauty, 
her  accomplishments,  and  her  virtues.  As  'ne  savages  rushed  into 
the  house,  she  fled  tr  a  jiile  of  wood  on  '.lie  premises,  and  endea- 
vored to  conceal  herself  She  was  piuvsued  and  arrested  by  an 
Indian,  wlio,  with  perfect  composure,  wiped  and  sheathed  his  drip- 
ping knife,  and  took  his  ton.ahawk  i'-oni  his  girdle.  At  this  instant 
a  Tory,  wlio  had  formerly  been  a  domestic  in  liie  family,  s])rang  for- 
ward and  interpo,sed  in  her  beiiall",  claiming  lier  as  a  sister.  Th( 
maiden,  too,  wlio  understood  somewhat  of  the  Indian  language 
implored  for  mercy — but  in  vain.  \\\\\\  one  hand  tlie  Indian 
puslied  the  Tory  from  him,  and  w  itii  the  other  planted  the  hatchet 
deep  in  her  temple  !" 

In  the  valley  where  the.se  {itrocities  were  committed,  there  was 
a  small  fort,  defended  bv  a  few  men  >  but  the  Indians,  "being 
received  l)y  a  brisk  tire  of  grape  and  nnisketry  from  the  garrison, 
nvoided  the  fort,  and  directed  their  attention  chiefly  to  plundering 
and  laying  waste  the  viil.'igc,  having  sated  tiiemselves  in  the  out>et 
with  blood."  .Such  is  the  warfare  olllie  Indian — ciml,  patient,  an(i 
brave,  when  compelled  to  face  danger;  imt   always  wlien  acting' 


BIOGRAPHY. 


139 


from  clioice,  shumiinjr  tlio  contest,  with   armed  men,  and   seeking 
out  the  weak  and  iin[)re])ared. 

In  tlie  biography  of  Brant,  from  whicli  we  select  these  lads,  we 
find  aa  attempt  to  vindicate  his  conduct  on  this  occasion.     It  is 
said  he  was  "  not  the  coinniauder  of  tiiis  ex|)edilioii,  and  if  he  had 
been  it  is  not  certain  he  coidd  have  compelled  a  diilerent  result. 
But  it  is  certain  that  his  conduct  on  that  fatal  day  was  ncitlu>r  bar- 
barous nor  ungenerous.     On  the  contrary,  lie  did  all  in   his  power 
to  prevent  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood."     We  are  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  blood  was  shed  on  that  occasion  that  was  not  innocent 
blood.     The  expedition  was  not  directed  against  any  military  post, 
nor  any  body  of  armed  men,   but  against   the  homes  of  ])e-.u'.cful 
farmers,  whose  houses  and  barns  were  burnt,  and  wlK)se  wives  and 
children   were  slaughtered.      1'he   torch  was   applied  indiscrimi- 
natclij  to  every  dwcUlng-housc,  and,  in  fact,  to  every  buikling  in  the 
village.     The  country  was  desolated  for  miles  around;  and  human 
life  was  extinguislied  without  regard  to  the  form  in  which  it  existed, 
however  reverend,  or  beautifid,  or  innocent.     Tho.se  of  the  inha- 
bitants  who  were   not    slain,   were  driven  away  like  a  herd  of 
beasts.     At  night  they  were  huddled  together,  under  the  charge  of 
sentinels,  and  forced  to  lie  half  naked  on  the  ground,  with  no  cover 
but  the  heavens.     Of  two  of  the.se  unfortunate  beings,  the  follow- 
ing heart-rending  anecdote  is  told.     "  Mrs.  Cannon,  an  aged  lady, 
and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  being  unlitted  for  travelling  by 
reason  of  her  years,  the  Indian  having  both  in  charge  desj)atched 
the  mother  with  his  hatchet,  by  the  side  of  her  daughter.     Mrs. 
Campbell  was  driven  along  by  tiie  uplifted  hatchet,  having  a  child 
in  her  arms  eighteen  months  old,  with  barbarous  rapidity,  until  the 
next  day,  when  she  was  favored  with  a  more  humane  master." 

These  are  but  a  few  of  a  long  list  of  similar  atrocities  which,  in 
our  apprehension,  were  both  barijarous  and  ungenerous.  Butlei 
and  Brant  each  endeavored,  subsecjuently,  to  cast  the  stigma  of  these 
cruelties  on  each  other ;  the  one  alleging  that  he  was  not  the  com- 


140 


TIIAYENDANEGEA. 


maucler  in  llit'  eiitorprisc,  nnd  tlie  otlior  tli:it  the  crafty  Muliawk 
bad  secretly  instigated  liis  people  to  these  excesses  to  advance  Iiih 
own  ends;  l)ut  ieipartial  history  will  not  attempt  to  trace  tlie  ima- 
ginary line  of  distinction  between  the  leader  in  sucii  an  inroad  and 
the  second  in  comn.and — in  a  case,  too,  where  both  were  volunteers, 
and  neither  had  any  legal  or  Jictnal  control  over  the  other.  Neither 
of  them  were  natives  of  Great  Britain — bolli  were  mercenaries, 
serving  0(;casionally  for  tlie  emolument,  or  tiie  gratification  to  Ijo 
earned  in  that  service.  The  murder  of  women,  and  the  devastation 
of  (ields,  formed  thi'r  cluwen  path  to  honor — tlie  smoking  ruins  of 
cottages,  and  tlie  charred  l)ones  of  infants,  were  the  monuments  of 
their  warlike  deeds.  iS'or  can  we  admit  the  validity  of  the  often 
repeated  apology  for  Brant — that  he  could  not  contr(il  his  warriors. 
There  are  no  troops  in  tlie  world  that  are  more  completely  under 
the  command  of  their  leaders  than  the  Indians.  Their  disci])line 
is  e.vact  and  uncomproinisiiig.  From  infancy,  the  Indian  is  taught 
selt-control,  and  obedience  to  his  superiors;  and  death  on  the  spot, 
b\-  tiie  hand  of  the  leader,  is  the  usual  punishment  of  contumacy. 
But  Brant  and  Butler  knew  when  they  set  out  on  these  enter])rises, 
that  the  solo  object  was  to  l)urn  dwellings,  to  lire  barns,  to  slaughter 
unarmed  iiieii,  women,  and  children;  anil  if  it  was  trut',  that,  having 
turned  loose  their  savages  to  the  work  of  blood,  they  could  no 
longer  Control  them,  we  do  not  see  what  they  gain  by  this  excuse. 
Tiie  savages  ilid  the  work  which  had  been  planned  for  them ;  and 
Ave  fancy  there  is  little  room  for  casuistry  to  scan  nicely  the  degrees 
of  barbarity  which  ni;irked  the  conduct  of  the  dilferent  actors. 

In  an  action  near  Minnisink,  in  1779,  in  which  his  opponents 
were  armed  men.  Brant  deserved  the  credit  of  having  adroitly 
j)lanned  and  boldly  executed  an  attack.  The  usual  cruelties,  how- 
ever, were  perpetrated,  and  seventeen  woinided  men,  who  were 
under  charge  of  a  surgeon,  perished  by  the  tomahawk. 

Brant  fought  again  at  the  battle  of  the  Chemung,  in  the  same 
year,  where  fifteen  hundred  Tories  and  Indians,  commanded  by  him- 


BIOGRAPHY. 


141 


self,  the  Butlers,  and  tlic  Johnsons,  were  beaten  by  the  Americans 
iMidiT  General  Sullivan. 

It  was  during  the  campaign  of  Sullivan  that  Red  Jacket  first 
made  his  apijcarance  as  a  conspicuous  man  among  the  Indians,  and 
a  feud  commenced  Jjetwecn  him  and  Dmnt,  which  continued 
tlu-oughout  tlioir  lives.  Brant  accused  Red  Jacket,  not  merely  of 
cowardice,  but  also  of  treachery,  and  a.;serted  that  he  lia<l  discovered 
a  secret  correspondence  between  the  latter  and  the  American  Ge- 
neral. Ketl  Jacket,  it  was  said,  was  in  the  habit  of  lioklin<>-  secret 
councils  witli  a  numbi'r  of  young  warrior.'*,  and  with  .-^Mne  timid 
and  disaffected  headers,  and  at  length  sent  a  runner  witii  a  llaf  to 
General  Sullivan,  to  advise  iiim  tliat  a  spirit  of  "discontent  prevailed 
among  tlie  Indians.  Hraut,  who  was  confidentially  informed  of 
these  j)rocoodings,  privately  dcspiitched  two  warriors  to  waylay 
and  assassinate  the  runner,  which,  l)eing  ellected,  put  an  end  to  the 
intrigue. 

In  1780,  Brant  led  a  party  of  forty-three  Indians  and  .seven  Tories 
against  the  settlement  of  IIar[)ers(icld,  which  was  surprised  and 
destroyed;  and  he  then  IxMit  liis  stcjis  towards  Scoharie,  which  he 
supposed  to  be  undefended.  On  his  \\[iy  he  encountered  Captain 
Harper  and  fourteen  men,  who  were  making  stigar  in  the  woods, 
of  whom  three  were  killed,  and  the  remainder  taken.  Harper,  a 
bravo  man,  famed  for  more  than  one  hardy  exploit,  determined  to 
.save  the  settlement  of  Scoharie  from  the  dreadful  calamity  of  a 
vi.sit  from  Brant,  and,  on  being  (juestioned  as  to  its  defences,  coolly 
stated  that  three  hundred  continental  troops  had  just  been  stationed 
there,  and  persisted  in  tliis  story  until  the  Indian^;  were  induced  to 
retrace  their  steps  to  Niagara.  On  tlieir  way  they  fell  in  with  an 
old  man  and  his  two  youthful  grandsons,  who  were  also  captured; 
but  finding  the  old  man  unable  to  keep  pace  witli  the  partv,  he 
was  ])ut  to  death,  and  his  scalp  added  to  the  trophies  of  the  expe- 
dition. It  was  intended  tliat,  on  the  arrival  of  the  partv  at  Xiagara, 
the  prisoners  should  be  subjecttid  to  tiie  barbarous  torture  of  run- 


112 


TIIAYKNDANEGEA, 


niiiLi  llic  yimiitlct,  but  liriiiit  iViistratcd  lliis  pliin  by  sciKliii;^  a  mcs. 
SUIT  scltl'IIn'  to  tbc  I'oiiiiiia'Klcr  of  tlic  lint  at  that  nlacf,  in  coiisp- 
quciuHi  of  uiiicb  tlioy  were  rci'civfd,  on  tlicir  arrival  at  the  ouljiosts, 
by  a  partv  ol  ri'yulars,  wlio  took  [losscssion  of  thcni.  \\ C  cbccr- 
fnllv  accord  tlic  |iraisc«(liic  to  ibis  act  ol'  iiuinanity. 

We  shall  nol  pursue  the  Mohawk  chief  throunh  all  the  w  indiums 
of  Ills  crafty  and  sanguinary  career.  He  continued  until  tiie  close 
of  the  war  in  17^'2  to  harass  the  settlements  by  such  incursions  as 


we  have  tiescrilied 


hose  who  delinlit  in  recitals  of  tragic  interest, 


mav  find  a  serii's  of  such  events  well  told  in  Mr.  Sloues  work. 
Tln^V  i'l'e  too  numerous  to  be  related  at  length  in  such  a  sketch  as 
this,  anil  too  much  alike  in  their  general  outlines  to  be  abridged 
with  advantage.  In  perusing  this  history,  the  heart  sickens  at  the 
oft-repeated  tale  of  domestic  agony — the  tearing  of  husbands,  wives, 
and  children,  from  each  other's  cnd)race — the  caj)tivity  of  ilelicate 
females — the  driving  of  iialf-dad  and  bare-footed  women  and  chil- 
dren through  the  wilderness,  exjio.sed  to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  cli- 
mate— the  torture  of  prisoners — the  thousand  varieties  of  savage 
crut'lty.  All  these  deeds,  whicli  we  contemplate  with  comparative 
composure,  when  told  of  luitaught  savages  stung  to  rage  I)}-  the 
invasion  of  tlieir  hunting-grounds,  awaken  a  lively  sensation  of 
horror  when  we  lieliokl  them  delii)eratcly  planned  and  executed 
under  the  flag  of  a  great  nation,  by  persons  of  Euroj)ean  descent, 
and  by  a  sagacious  cliief  who  had  felt  and  acknowledged  the  advan- 
tages of  civilization,  wlio  had  reaped  honor  and  advantage  through 
an  intercourse  with  the  whites,  whicli,  previous  to  this  unhappy 
war,  had  i)een  cliaracterized  b}-  mutual  confidence  and  kindness. 
IJraiit  liad  no  wrongs  to  avenge  iij)on  tlie  American  people — lie  had 
nothing  to  gain  by  tlic  part  lie  acted  but  tlie  pay  of  a  mercenary 
and  the  plunder  of  a  marauder,  while  tlie  eU'ect  of  these  hostilities 


ipoii 


his  tribe  was  demoralizing  and   destructive  of  that  reforn 


which  he  profcs.ser.l  to  be  endeavoring  to  introduce  among  them. 
It  is  not   to  be  denied  that  this  dark  picture  is  occasionally  re 


<^ 


iiio(;i{.\  piiY. 


148 


licvcil  by  acts  of  incrry  on  ihc  part  of  the  Moliawk  cliiof.      But  we 
arc  not  indincil  toaccnnl  niiicli  praise  to  isolated  :fcts  of  fronorositv, 


OIIL 


I  Ion"-  career  of  brntal 


thai  uliinnier,  at  distant  intervals,  tlir 
violeni'c.  'I'lie  miser  uiio  devotes  all  liis  life  to  tlie  linardinjr  of  irold, 
trains  no  applansf  for  an  occasional  freak  of  <renorositv  ;  nor  does 
the  savaij^e,  who  pauses,  in  the  midst  of  a  prolon;^ed  series  oi"  rinir- 
ders,  to  spare  a  wonjan,  or  a  trenililin^  child,  deserve  the  laurel  of 
the  hero,  \)'e  estimate  the  character  of  a  man  liy  his  general  con- 
duct, and  uliile  we  forgive  tlu;  little  errors  of  a  uood  man,  we  must, 
on  the  same  principle,  pass  over  tlie  accidental  departures  of  ji  de- 


]iraved   nund 


fri 


om   Its  lia 


hiti 


lal  wrong  domg. 


It 


IS  a  couMuon  l)ut 


sound  objection  against  fuMitious  writings,  that,  cliaractors  essen- 
tially iiad  are  tricked  out  in  a  few  redeeming  virtues  which  recom- 
mend them  to  the  thoughtless  reader;  and  with  still  stronger  reason 
should  this  grave  argument  of  the  moralist  be  apj)licd  to  the  per- 
sonages of  liistnrv,  whos(^  habitual  <'rimes  should  not  i)e  lost  si<>-ht 
of  amid  the  lustre  of  a  fvw  l)righ1  actions. 

In  l"*^.'),  tju^  war  being  over.  Mrant  made  another  vi.sit  to  England, 


where  he  was  we 


received 


On   I 


leiiig   presented 


to  tl 


u'  King,  lie 


declined   kissing  his  majesty's  hand,  but  observed  that   he  wt)uld 


gladlv  kiss  the  hand  of  tl 


le  (pieeii.     'I'he  i]isliop  of  London,  Fo.y, 


Boswell.  Karl  Percy,  Earl  Moira,  and  other  distinguished  persons, 
admitted  him  to  their  .society;  and  it  is  no  small  j)roof  of  his 
talent  .and  address  that  he  sustained  liiinself  w(>ll  in  the  best  circles 


ol    liie 
TalM'ii 


Brit 


ish   nielrii|in|is. 


The  r 


rinc(>  oi 


\\ 


lies  IS  said 


tol 


liive 


■lilihl 


in  his  cdinpany,  and  sometimes  took  him,  as  the  chief 


altirwards  rem.irkeil.  '-to  places  very  ([iieer  for  a  prince  to  go  to." 
Ii  is  al.Mi  asserted  that  the  scenes  nf  cearst'  di.ssipation  which  he 
witnessed  at  the  prince"s  table,  and  the  freedom  with  which  the 
Icadiiio-  Whius  spoke  of  the  kinu'.  had  the  ellect  of  gre.atlv  weak- 
enih:;-  his  respect  fur  royalty,  as  well  as  liis  regard  for  the  king's 
|)er>(iii. 

Tiie  ostensible  object  of  Brant's  vi.sit  was  to  obtain  for  his  tribo 


II 


TIIAYKNDANKGKA. 


soiiif  rt'iiiiiiiciMtidii  Inr  llirir  scrvici's  iliiriiiij  tlic  u;ir;  Iml  us  tlic 
('iiti;uli;ui  ;Mitli<ii°ilii's  li:iil  iilrcailv  imidf  lliciii  ii  lurin'  oriiiit  of  land 
ill    I'ppcr   ('aiiadii,  lo  uliirli   tiny   niiKncd,  and   uliiTu   tlioy  still 


reside,  it  is  |)i'(ilial)le  that  liis  inissiim  had  relation  c 


■hiully  t 


()  aiidtluT 


<iil)ject.    After  ll 


le  war 


(ireat  Urilain  retained  possession,  for  several 


years,  of  certain   military  posts,  south  of  the  lakes,  and  svithin  the 


limits  of  tlie    I'niteil  State 


'riif  triln's  at   war  with   the   United 


Slates  made  these  posts  their  rallying  points,  and  received  froin 
tlieiii  constant  supplies.  The  Mrilisli  ministry,  who  had  never 
formed  any  adeipiate  jud^nient  of  the  extent  of  this  eoiiiilry,  or  of 
the  enterprise  and  onerLfy  of  the  people,  vainly  supposed  that  (Jreat 
Hrilain,  by  unitiuif  with  the  savay:e  trihes,  miiilit  restrain  the  Ame- 
rii'  Ills  from  exleiidiun'  iheir  selllcmeiits  heyond  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sis>ippi   ri\('rs,  and  h\'  possi'ssino-   hcrsell  of  that    re|,non,  and   iilli- 


malelv  of  the  w 


hole   .Mississip|)i   plain,  acquire   an  ascendency 
d)l 


on 


till!  contineiil  winch  would  I'liahle  lii'r  to  recover  her  lo5t  cnloiiii'S. 


'!"! 


le  crallN  am 


1  iiitri<niin<r  character  of  IJrant  rendered  hi 


III  a  wi 


II- 


im;  and  an  able  actor  in  these  sclunies;  and  he  passed  frequently 
frr)in  Canada  to  the  North-weslern  Territory,  to  hold  councils  with 
the  Indians.  Hiil  as  the  JJritish  Lroveriimeiit  did  not  avow  these, 
proi.'eodin'j;s,  and  as  the  Indians  mit>ht  have  been  doubtful  how  far 
the  atronts  who  tampered  with  them  were  authorized,  it  was  dosir- 
al)le  that   souk.'  more  direct  communication  should  bo  had  with  ll 


10 


ministry  ;  and  the  chief  |turj)ose  of  JJrant's  visit  was  to  ascer- 
tain whellier.  ill  case  of  a  ireneral  war  between  the  Indians  and  the 
I'liilcd  Slates,  tlie  former  nfit>'ht  rely  u|)oii  the  support  of  Great  Bri- 
tain. Sucli  is  the  clear  import  of  numerous  letters  collected  in  Mr. 
Stone's  work,  some  of  which  are  published  for  the  lirst  time,  and 
which  throw  li^ht  U|)on  points  of  this  history  which  hi-ive  been  ob- 
scure. The  British  i^overnment,  liowtncr,  wouM  not  commit  itselt 
on  so  delicate  a  mailer,  and  J3rant  was  referred  to  the  Governor  ot 
Canaila.  with  general  assurances  of  his  majesty's  friendship. 

While   in    T,oiidon,   Captain  Urant   attended  a   masquerade,  at 


iU()(;ii  Ai'iiv. 


14.5 


wliicli  iiiiiiiy  iiltlic  iidliilily  ;iii(l  yciitcy  were  |in'.scii1 — ;i|i|i(';iriiit4'  in 
the  ('ostlinic  nl'  liis  tlilic,  w  itii  one  side  of  his  liicc  |);iilit('(|.  A  Tlirlv, 
will)  wiis  ol'  llic  (•(iiii|i:iii\ ,  wiis  so  strui'k  \\itli  llir  Linitisijur  tiniii'<' 
(if  ihi'  f'liicf,  ami  csiicriiilly  with  his  visaoc,  wliii-h  he  siipixiscii  tn 
lir  liiniicil  hy  ii  iiiasli,  that  he  vciitiii'cil  to  iiidiiJifc  Ins  ciirinsitN'  liv 
l(iiii'hiiii(  llin  Mohawk's  nose;  hut  no  sooner  did  ho  make  this 
att('in)it,  than  the  (diicf  ninch  anniscd,  hut  allcrtinf;  <rrcat  ray;(', 
nltiTcd  the  trnific  \\ar-\\  iioo|),  iiiul  dnwiiiir  his  loinahaw  k,  lloiirishcd 
it  round  tlif  head  of  the  astonished  Turk,  creatiiiL!'  a  paiiie  whirh 
sent  the  ladies  screaniinii  lor  |)roteetion  in  all  directions 

l?rant  translated  tiie  (Jospel  of  Mark  into  the  Mohawk  laniruatfo 
dnrinir  this  visit ;  and  as  the  Prayer  Hooks  iriveii  to  the  Indians 
iiad  mostly  been  lost,  or  destroyed  dnriiiL;'  the  war,  the  Soi'ietv  for 
the  I'ropai,fation  of  the  (lospel  in  i''oreiy;ii  Parts,  chose  the  opportu- 
nit'  l)rin<f  out  a  new  edition  nnder  his  supervision,  inclndinLf 
tl  nel  of  Mark,  as  translated  hy  him.    The  ijook  was  eleLrantly 

jirnorii  in  larLic  octavo,  under  thc^  patronayc  of  the  kinjf,  and  om- 
hellislied  witli  u  number  of  scriptural  secnes  onirraved  in  the  best 
style  of  that  day.  'Vhv  date  of  his  return  is  not  exactly  known, 
l)ut  his  visit  was  not  prolonged  beyond  u  few  months,  as  he  was  at 
homo  in  July,  ITSli. 

Brant  was  now  placed  in  a  position  wliicli  reciuired  the  exercise 
of  all  his  address.  The  Mohawks  hud  witlidrawn  into  Canada, 
and  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Great  Britain;  the  other  (ive  of 
the  Six  Nations  resided  in  the  United  States;  yet  tlie  confederacy 
remained  unbroken,  and  Thayendanegea  continued  at  its  head. 
Tlie  Mohawks  were  embittered  against  tlio  American  people,  to 
whom  their  recent  cruelties  had  rend(>re(l  them  justly  odious,  while 
some  of  the  other  tribes  were  decidedly  frien<lly.  It  required  all 
his  attention  to  keei)  together  a  confederacy  thus  divided.  He  is 
supposed,  and  with  little  doubt,  to  have  been  at  the  same  time 
engaged  in  extensive  conspiracies  against  the  peace  of  the  Ameri- 
can frontiers,  and  is  known  to  have  been  frequently  in  council 
lit 


146 


I  ii.\yi:m)ANE(;i:a. 


witli  the  lKistil(^  Iii(li:iiis.  But  wliilo  thus  rns^jujrd,  lip  s()ii<i:lil  ovfry 
opportimitv  (if  jji'dlcssiiiir  his  ]o\c  of  peace,  his  frieiidsliip  t(i\\iir(ls 
I'll'  I'liiteil  States,  and  his  desire  to  lii'al  lh(;  existing  diirere:ices. 
'riic  iiiaiith>  of  ( 'liristiaiiit\-,  wliieh  lie  liad  thrown  -iMde  duriii"'  tlii^ 


war.  was  airaiii   assiii 


lied  ;  and  tli<j  cliief  uiis   now  I'liiraiicd  in  ei 


respondeiiee  ,)ii  r( 
tininiisli'HJ 


liirioiis  and  li;'ne\-oh'iil   subjects  with   several  (lis. 


inoricaiis. 


dl'ect 


ed  an  earnest  desire  to  civuizo  his 


own   trilie,  and   1i>  teach   thoii.    the  (iospol ;   hiil  there  is  too  iniicli 
reason   \v    liejiexc   tlial    his    re;d    sentiments    aci'orded    with  those 


)|"  his   friend    tl 


I) 


IIK(^     I 


.NO 


•thuinherlaiid,  who 


ad    sei\('(l 


in 


Anierii-a  as  Tiord  l'erc\',  and  liavinif  lieen  adiiiii 


ited 


lis  a  uarrKir  into 


the   Mohawk    tr 


die.   wrote   to  IJrant.  in    I'^fXi,  as   foil. 

li 


T\ 


lera 


are  a  niinilier  ol  well-ineaiiiiiL,''  persons  \\vyv,  wIio  are  very  desirous 
of  I'oriiiiiiLf  a  .society  to  h.iier  (as  tiieycall  it}  the  condition  of  our  lui- 
tion.  ii\'  convertiiK.r  ns  froii.  warriors  and  hunters  into  ImshaiidirR'n. 
liCt  MIC  slronirlv  leconinieiid  it  toyoii.aad  the  rest  of  oiir  chiefs,  not 
to  listen  to  sncii  a  |  imposition.  Let  oiir  \ounn  men  never  exelian<xe 
their  liberty  and  manly  exercises  to  become  hewers  of  wood  uiid 
drawer.,  of  water.    If  they  will  leach  o;ir  wonn'n  to  spin  ami  weave, 


tlli^  wonlil  be  of 


use 


but  t 


o  endeavor  to  enervate  our  yonnji  ii 


leii 


bv  (luin'jf  nolliiiitr  but  till 


111"  the  earth,  would 


tl 


u"  greatest  injury 


tliev  conid  do  tin 


i' 


l\c 


Natl 


oils. 


But  such  was  the  reputation  of  Brant  for  abilit 


les.  and  siu 


h  the 


coniideiice  in  his  |)i-ofessed  desire  "to  accomplish  the  desirabU^  end 
ptace-i..  ' ''iiz,"     that    the   <'()\('rnnieiit    of  tlin 
liation   with    liie    hostile 


of  civilization  and 


IS    me( 


rniled  States  earnes.iv  sought  li 
tribes.  \  correspondence  was  opened,  in  which  he  was  appeah'd 
to  as  a  man  of  hiiili-loiad  benevolence,  and  as  a  friend  of  the  red 
nii'e,  to  sa\i'  thiMii   Irntn   ihe   ine\  italile  destruction   to  w  liicli   their 


lerseverance   in   iiiiiiece: 


•rv  wars  must  brim;  llu'in 


II 


IS   reiilies 


sImw  that  his  jiid'jMKMit  approved  thesi  ...■eiitimenls,  and  in  them  he 
npe.itrdly  promised  to  do  all  in  bis  power  to  make  peace,  '("he 
war,  however,  continued   for  several   years  longer,  tlio  Indians  be- 


BlOGKAPllY. 


147 


coming  more  luul  more  audacious  in  tlieir  liostililios,  and  unreason 
aijle  in  tlieir  demands. 

Besides  a  number  of  lesser  engagements,  several  battles  were. 
fouglit,  the  most  disastrous  of  wliidi  was  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair,  \)y 
a  large  Indian  force,  ai(ied  l)y  several  hundred  Canadians.  "'J'heir 
leader,  according,  to  tli'.:  nceived  opinion,"  says  Mr.  Stone,  "wa.s 
.Mesliecunna((ua,  or  Jjitik  Turtk,  a  distinguished  chief  of  Ihe  Mia- 
niis.  lie  wiis  also  the  leader  of  the  Indians  against  General  Ilar- 
iiier,  the  year  before.  It  is  believed,  however,  tliat,  ihoiinii  uomi- 
ually  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Indians  on  this  occasinn.  he  was 
ureatly  indebted  both  to  the  counsels  and  the  prowess  of  anniher 
and  an  ohler  chief.  One  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  Mohawk  war- 
riors were  engaged  in  this  battle;  and  Ceiieral  St.  Clair  probably 
dii'd  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  one  of  the  nia.ster  spirits  against 
whom  he  contended,  and  liy  whom  he  was  so  signally  defeated,  was 
none  other  than  Joseph  ihant — Vhaijindanaiea.  How  it  liap|)(Mje<i 
that  this  distinguishi'd  chief,  from  whom  so  much  had  been  ex- 
pected as  a  peace-mak'!',  thus  suddenly  and  elTi-'icnlly  threw  him- 
self into  a  position  of  active  hcstility,  unless  he  thouuhl  he  saw  aii 
o[)eaiiig  for  reviving  his  ])roject  of  a  great  north-western  confede- 
racy, is  a  mystery  which  he  is  believed  to  have  carried  in  his  own 
bosom  to  the  grave." 

We  do  not  doulit  that  Mohawk  braves  were  engaged  in  this  bat- 
tle, nor  that  IJraiit,  diirint;-  tiie  whole  of  this  unhappy  war.  so  dis- 
tressing to  the  frontier  settlements,  and  so  ruinous  to  *.  :.;  deluded 
savages,  was  secretly  engaged  in  fomenting  discord,  while  aHecling 
the  character  of  a  peace-maker.  JJiit  we  cannot  suppress  our 
scepticism  as  to  his  alleged  partici|)ation  in  the  battle  of  Noxciiiber 
1.  I7'.»l.  now  tirst  aiinoiinced  upon  the  authority  of  his  family.  Wo 
do  not  iindertiikc  to  prove  a  ncLrative,  but  we  aver  that  tiie  whole 
weight  of  the  ('vidcin'e  contradicts  this  novel  a.ssumplioii.  It  is 
barelv  possii)le  that  he  was  there,  and  if  so,  his  counsels  would 
doubtless  have  had   Ln'cat   inilueiice.      Ilul    we   think   it    altogether 


148 


THAVi:M)AM:(iEA. 


inii>rol);il)l(!  tlint  a  loader  of  siicli  distiiictioii  (•oiild  tako  part  in  a 
general  eiiga^r('ineiit,  so  imixirtant  and  so  decisive,  and  tlie  faet 
remain  eoneealed  for  nearly  lialt"  a  eentnry — espeeially  under  lliu 
ciriinnsliinet's  eimneeted  witii  that  disastrous  event.  The  defeat 
of  St.  (lair  caused  great  excitement,  and  leil  to  keen  in(|uirv,  and 
its  circumstances  were  investigated  by  a  miiit.ary  court.  Suhse- 
i|Uenll\,  tiie  scene  ol"  the  hattle,  and  the  lands  iniiahited  by  most 
of  tiic    tribes   en'jaiied   in   it,  have  beconi'e   settled    bv  Americans. 


'I'reaties   have   beiMi    made   with   those   tribe; 


'J' 


lie\'  liave  bt.'come 


■|' 


•ndeni  on  the  .\mrrican  government,  whose  agents  iiave  Ijceii 
j)lantcd  aniouu  thtui  constantly,  from  a  period  immediatelv  succeed- 
inir  the  battle  of  Wayne,  in  ITItl.  There  lias  been  a  constant 
interconr>e  brtwci  u  our  people  and  all  the  tribes  of  that  region, 
during  the  eniiri'  period  that  has  elapsed  since  that  war ;  and  many 
Americans,  who  were  prisoMers  amoni:'  tho.se  Indians,  at  the   time 


batti 


e,  ;is    well    as    bel(ire    and    since,  have,  on    thiMr    return 


hrune,  communic:iti'd  a  varuts  ol   nuniile   inlormatiou  touching  an 

a  lin  ater  excitement  ainonu;  the  Indians 


allau"  whiiii  caused  e\i  n 


(iian  among  us.     It  was  a  Lirrat   and   an   unexpected   triumpli,  the 
honor  and   spoils  of  uhicii  were  ilivided  amonu   manv  tribes,  who 


vvoidil  each  discuss 


the  circuni-    .aces.  ;uid    claim   their   portion 


ot'  tlic'_dor\.      it   is   iiarilly  possi 
name  cnuld  liave  been  conceali'd,  o 


,ie  \'<:i\    if   iirant 


as   j»resent    his 


r  that   all   the   individi 


lals  o 


f  all 


the    tribes    eiiuaued 


■ih'oiild    have  cdiicurred    in    sielding  to   J.itlle 
'I'urtle  tlie  laurels   that   belonm'il   to  Thayeiidauegea.      >io  one  but 
imself  could  have  been  inter'^sted  in   keepini^  such  a  secret,  while 


h 


the  fact,  il    it   existed,  must    h.i\f   in  en   known   to  many — toCana- 

'  various  tribes, 
il"  wl 


lo  were  lu 


(iians,  IJrilish  ollicers.  and  the  i  hiefs  and  warriors 

besides  the  oiii'  hundred    and    liltv   ol    liis  own    peo| 

the  eliijaLIcnieiit.       \\  e  deem    it    an    act    of  justice  to  the  menior\    ot" 

Ilraiit    to  siiui;e>t    tiioe  objections ;    for  althoiisjh  we.  as  Americans, 

have  little  reason   to  adiiiiie  his  mililarv  career,  we  .are  aware  that 

much  mii>ht  be  .said,  and  indeed  nuicit  has  beiii  .said,  in  defence  ot 


RIOGUAPHY. 


149 


liis  conduct  wliilc  at  open  war  with  us.  which  could  not  iivail  m 
rct^iird  to  hostilities  committed  by  him  while  prolessing  to  be  at 
|)cace. 

1I(!  continued,  aftei  tlio  events  just  related,  to  correspond  witli  the 
ollicers  of  the  American  {fovenirnent,  in  the  character  of  a  mediator, 
kecpinjr  up  without  iiiterruplion  the  intercourse  conuuenced  before 
8t.  Clair's  campai<rn.  and  still  jjrofcssinir  his  ardent 
complish    the    desirable    end    of  civilizalic 


desu-e  "  to  ac- 


n\  and  peace-makinif.'' 
'I'liese  senliments  accorded  so  well  with  the  ])acilic  vic'ws  of  the 
I'resident,  and  were  rcceiv(>d  with  such  confidence,  that  he  was 
several  limes  invited,  in  ursrent  and  cdnipliMientarv  Icrnis,  1o  visit 
the  govermnent  at   IMidadt-lphia  ;  and  after  decliniuir   more   than 


)nce,  he  at  last,  in  J 


une 


17U2, 


commenced  a  jniu'iiey  to  the  metro- 


polis of  the  United  .States.      It  is  credjtalilc  to  the  i 


noral  character 


of  (in 


r  people  that,  alt liou|rh  he  ])assed  ihrouuh  the  .Mohawk  \'all 


I'V, 


who.se  inhabitants  had  been  so  sc\crel\  scourged  by  his  iiand,  and 


although  threats  of  vengeance  were  ihrouii  out  li 
viduals,  h(!  was   unmolested.     II 
ceived   at  riiiladelphia.      The   tru 


V  indiscreet  indi- 


e  uas    kinillv  and    resoei 


tfull 


V  re- 


nises  of  the    war   with    the 


W'stern 


Ind 


lans  were 


explained    to    him;    and    un'at    p.iii 


IS  weri' 


iiipress  uooii  h, 


taken  by  the  President  and  Secretary  of  W  ar  to  i 

mind  the  sincere  desire  of  the  United  States  to  cultivate  ti 


le  most 


unicalile  relations  with  all  the  Ind 


ian  tribes,  and  to  spare  no  cxer- 


lioiis  to  promote  their  welfare.  In  the  (<nd,  he  was  induced  to 
midertako  a  mission  cf  peace  to  .>*ome  of  the  tribes,  and  was  fur- 
iiislied  with  iiill  powers  for  that  purpose, 
were   his  intentions  tliev  were  cbaii'red   on    1 


But 


sincere 


IIS  return   iiome 


and 


tiic  auspicious  reswlts  anticipated  from  his  mediation  were  never 
realized.  '["In"  United  Slates,  wearied  out  bv  iiieirectiial  attempts 
to  make  pcac(>,  were  at  last  compelled  to  prosecute  the  war  with 
viiTor,  and  found  in  (Icneral  Wayne  a  negotiator  who  .soon  broii'dit 
the  enem\'  to  terms. 

We  turn  with  pleasure  to  a  morti  agreoi.ble  part  of  the  life  of 


150 


THAYKNDANEGKA. 


ihis  reiii!irkiil)K' person.  Afti'r  tlic  fanipninii  ol  IT'.M  lie  was  not 
again  engaged  in  war,  and  devoted  his  attention  to  tiie  interests  and 
moral  improvement  of  his  trilie.  lie  was  not  in  the  slightest  de- 
gree tinctnred  with  the  hal)itiiiil  indolence  of  his  race,  and  did  not 
sink  into  more  apathy  when  satod  with  hloodshed.  lie  labored  lor 
years  to  get  a  conlirniation  of  the  title  of  his  trilie  to  the  land 
granted  them  on  Grand  Uiver,  which  proved  a  source  of  vexation 
to  him  during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  lie  elaimed  for  his  trilie 
a  complete  right  to  the  land,  wilii  power  to  sell  ami  L:r:iiit  Wtlcs  in 
fee  sim|)le;  while  the  i^oxernmcnt  alleged  ihe  title  to  lie  imperfect, 
giving  to  the  Indians  only  the  right  of  occupancy,  and  reserving 
the  pre-emption.     "Council  after  council  was  imlden  upon  the  sub- 


ject, and  conference  after  coid'erenee 


An\ 


e  (piires  of  manuscript 


speeches  and  arguments,  in  Brant's  own  hand,  yet  remain  to  attest 
the  sleepless  vigilance  with  which  lie  wat<'hnl  over  the  interests  of 
his  people,  and  the  zeal  and  ability  with  which  he  as.serted  and 
vindicated  tlieir  rights."  Twodeeils  were  successively  frameil  and 
ofl'ered  to  the  Mohawks,  and  rejected,  and  the  land  continued  to  be 
held  by  the  same  tenure  by  which  the  Indians  in  the  United  ISlates 
occupy  their  territory. 

Before  their  removal  from  the  Mohawk  Valley,  some  of  the  tribe 

]}rant  himself  cultivated 


had  turned  their  attention  to  a^rricnlturt 
a  larire  farm  near  the  residence  of  (Jeneral  Herkimer.  \o  man 
ever  estimated  more  truly  the  advantages  of  eivili/atimi ;  and  had 
he  been  sincere  in  his  professions  u|)on   tiiat   subjei-t,  and  avuided 


coniiectKin  w  1 


th   t 


le  wars 


of  I'liiijland   and   An 


ICI'IC 


his  t 


ni)c 


would  probably  have  all'orded  the  earliest  ami  most  i mnplete  e.\- 
nmple  of  Indian  civilization,  liis  own  attainments  were  consider- 
alile ;  he  spoke  and  wrote  the  Kuiflish  lanunia'/e  correclK.  and  his 
compositions  are  hiuidy  rcspectalile  in    point  of  thought  and  style. 


II. 


e  was  a  close  oliserver,  and    made  him.seif  wel 


.crpiainted  with 


the  arts  and  customs  of  the  whiti 


III   his  own    house,  jiraiil    was  a   hospitalile  and  convivial    man, 


RfoCltAI'll  Y. 


1-)! 


Mild    tliosc   wlio   visilcd   liini    were  kindly  nM-civcd.      He  crcrted  a 
.siiiicidus  duclliiiu-   ill    l'|)|icr  rimad.i,  wlicrc  lie  lived    in   li.iiidsome 
style.  ;iiiil    his  cliildrcii  were  nil  well  cdiicMttMl,  two  of  llicm  under 
the  cliarirc  of  Presiileiit  \\  heeloek,  son  of  the   preceptor  of  IJivint. 
One  son,  Isnae,  \'v\\  a  victim  1o  the  hesettinir  vice  ol'  his  race;   in  a 
lit  of  infoxication  lie  assimlted  his  father,  and  llie  stern  chief,  draw- 
iiiLi'  a  dirk,  iiitli.'ted  a  wound  upon  his  own  son  which  ])roved  mortal. 
.\    miitiial   dislike  existed   between   this  chief  and    Red   Ja(d<et. 
Thi'y  were  rival  politicians;  each  was  tlii>  leadiiiLr  man  amonir  his 
own  peo|)le ;  and  as  the  Seiiceas  and  .Mohawks  wore  the  principal 
tribes  of  the  confederacy,  each  .soiiirht  the  first  place  in  the  nati-on. 
'J'lieir  claims  were  nearly  balanced,  and  they  appear  to  have  grained 
the  superiority  in  turn.     In   the  year  l^^O:!,  Red  Jacket  succeeded 
in  proenrintr  the  deposition  of  Brant  from  the  chieftainship  of  the 
confederacy,  in  consequence  of  some  alleged  speculations  in  land, 
by  which  it  was  llioiiLdit  the  chief  had  advanced   his  own   personal 
interest  at  the  expense  of  his  nation;  I)ut  at  a  sub.secpient  council, 
Brant  procured  the  reversal  of  this  sentence.     Both  were  artful  and 
elorpicnt   men;    l)ut    Hraiit    bad   the   advantatres  of  education   and 
travi'l,  wliilc  Red  Jacket  was  superior  in  genius  and  in  devotion  to 
his    people.     Neither   of   tbcm    was   scnij)uloiis  as  to  the    means 
employed  to  compass  his  ends;   but   the  one  was  sellish,  while  the 
other  was  ambitious.      Brant    sought   to  advance  himself  by  means 
of  his  people,  and  was  ever  regardful  of  his  private  interests,  while 
Red  Jacket,  tiiougli  lie  claimed  the  first    [ilace  among  the  Seiiecas, 
neglected  his  jirivate  interests  and  labored  incessantly  for  bis  tribe, 
iirant  was  an  alile  warrior;  be  was  cool,  .sagacious,  ami  bold;   but 
he  was  also  cruel,  vindictive,  and  rapacious;   Red  Jacket,  thoiii,di 


not   a   coward,  dislikcul   war,   and  abiiorred   b 


■<hed.     Thev  dif- 


ired  as  nnicli   in    pohcy  as  in  eliaracter 


Brant  deliirht 


(Ml   in  the 


societ\-  of  civilize 


d  a'ld 


<'veii   retiiied   persons.      Red  Jacket  sternlv 


adhered    to    the    la 


iignage  and    customs   o(    Ins    own 


1> 


and 


snunned   and   dis<-ounteiiancetl  anv    familiar    iiit<'rcour.se    with  the 


152 


THAYENDANEGEA. 


whiles.  'I'lic  latter  coiiisidorcd  that  the  Indians  coiiUl  only  he  free 
so  long  as  thoy  remained  savages — that  every  art  and  enstdui  of 
civilization  which  they  adojUed  weakened  the  line  of  separation, 
while  it  introduced  a  new  want  to  he  supplied  by  the  lahor  or  tlie 
charity  of  white  men,  and  increased  the  deiiendency  of  the  Indians, 
llrant  maintained  through  life  a  friendly  intercourse  with  the 
English,  and  favored  the  introduction  of  agriculture  and  the  useful 
arts.  Ho  professed,  in  early  life,  to  he  converted  to  the  Christian 
faith,  and  tliough  he  afterwards  departed  widely  in  practice  from 
the  meek  and  merciful  deportment  of  a  true  iieliever,  lie  alwjjys 
favored  the  teac!iing  of  the  Word,  and  an  outward  support  to  reli- 
gion, in  his  puhlic  capacity.  Red  Jacket  opposed  the  missionaries, 
the  Christian  religion,  and  every  tiling  that  emanated  from  the  op- 
j)res.sors  of  his  race.  On  the  whole  Brant  was  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  men  of  his  time;  a  per.son  of  brilliant  parts,  of  great 
vigor  and  strength  of  intellect,  full  of  energy  and  perseverance,  and 
exceedingly  subtle  in  compassing  any  object  he  had  in  view. 

He  died  in  November,  lh()7,  at  the  age  of  nearly  si.xty-five  years, 
at  his  own  hous(>,  near  Burlington,  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  was 
buried  at  the  Mohawk  village,  on  (Irand  River,  by  the  side  of  the 
church  he  had  built  there.  His  last  words  to  his  adopted  nephew 
were,  "  Have  pity  on  the  poor  Indians  :  if  you  can  get  any  influence 
with  the  great,  endeavor  to  do  them  all  the  good  you  can." 


AIIYOUWAiailS. 


TiiAYKXDANKOEA,  chief  of  tho  Mohawks,  and  head  of  tlie  Iro- 
quois coMfcdcnicy,  wiis  iiiiirriiMl  tliroc  times.  By  his  first  wife  he 
h;ul  two  children,  l)y  his  second  none,  and  by  tht;  third  seven.  His 
wi(K)w,  Catharine  Brant,  was  tlie  eldest  daiijrliter  of  the  head  of  tlie 
Turtle  family— the  first  in  raidt  in  the  Mohawk  nation;  and  accord- 
\w^  to  their  customs,  tlie  honors  of  iier  house  descended  to  either 
of  her  sons  whom  she  mi<rlit  choo.se.  By  her  nomination,  her 
fourth  and  youii'.Test  son,  .loim  Brant,  Aliyoiiwai<rhs,  I)ecame  the 
chief  of  the  Mohawks,  and  virtually  succeeded  his  father  in  the 
olfice,  now  nominal,  of  chief  of  the  Iroquois  or  Si.v  Nations. 

This  chief  was  horn  on  the  'J7th  of  Septemher,  179 1 ;  he  received 
a  {rood  Ivnirlish  education  :md  is  .said  to  have  improved  his  mind 
hy  reailin;r.  I,,  the  war  of  1H12-15,  JMMween  the  United  States 
and  Cireat  Britain,  h(^  espoused  tlie  cause  of  the  latter,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  dan<rers  of  the  earliest  part  of  the  contest.,  hut  had  not 
the  opportunity  to  acquire  distinction. 

After  the  war,  John  Brant  and  his  sister  Elizahelh  took  up  their 
ahode  at  the  family  residence,  at  the  hoad  of  Lake  Ontario,  where 
they  lived  in  the  p^iiirli.sh  style;  their  mother  haviiiir,  after  the 
death  of  Thayendaiie>rca,  returned  to  the  Mohawk  villa<»-e,  and  re- 
sumed the  customs  of  her  fathers.  Lieutenant  Francis  Hall,  of 
the  British  service,  wlio  travelled  in  the  Fiiited  States  and  Canada, 
in  ISlfi,  visited  "Brant  House."  and  descrihcd  John  JSrant  as  a 
"fine  younii  man,  of  ^r,.,iil,.|nanlike  ap|)earance.  wli-,  ii.scd  the  Ln- 
ghsh  lan<rn;iir,.  correctly  and   a<rreeal)lv,  dressinir   in   the   Knifli.sh 


151 


r.iocrvAriiY. 


(ll^llioIl,  oxfvptiiit,'  diily  \\w  moccasoiis  of  liis  Indiiiu  liahit."  lie 
says,  in  rcrcrfiici!  to  'I'liayciulam-Lrca,  "  IJraiit,  like  Clovis,  and 
inv  of   tlie  Anj^lo-Saxou    and   ])aiiisli   Cliristians,  contrived   to 


mi 


unite  niucli  relijjiniis  zealwitli  tlit^  praetiees  of  iiiitnral  ferocity. 
His  cravi'  is  seen  nnder  tlie  walls  of  his  clinrcli.  I  have  niontioncd 
one  of  his  «ons;  lie  has  also  a  daughter  livin;,',  who  would  not  dis- 
grace tlu;  circles  of  I'luropean  fashion.  Her  lace  and  jiorson  are 
tine  and  Lfracefnl :  she  speaks  Enylisli  not  oidy  correctly,  but 
sleiJ[aiitly,  and  has,  both  in  her  spi'i'ch  and  manners,  a  softness  ap- 
j)roachin<i  to  oriental  languor.  She  retains  so  ninch  of  her  native 
dress  as  to  identity  her  willi  her  people,  over  whom  shi>  alVects  no 
snperioril\,  hot  seems  pK'ased  to  preserve  all  the  ties  and  tluties 
of  relationshiit.'' 


lis  familv   is  also  fa\oi-;ii)l\    mentionei 


hv   .1 


ories 


H 


II-  iianan, 


]')s(|.,  liritish  consul  fur  the  jxirt  of  New  \'ork,  who  .uade  a  tour 
throuijfh  Canada  in  l"^ll».  He  descrihes  the  same  yi  iiii'4  lady  as  "a 
charmini:,  nohle-lookinir  Indian  trirl,  dressed  partly  in  the  Enfflish, 
and    jiartly  in   the   Indian   co>tiime 


and  adds,  "the  irrace  and 
dijrnity  of  lier  nio\eiiients,  the  style  of  her  dress  an<l  manner,  so 
new,  so  unexpected,  filled  us  with  astonislimenl.'' 

In   1*^21,  John  Hrant  visited  llnuinud  foi-  the  purpose  of  settlini,' 
tlie  coiitroversv  in  ntiard  to  the  title  ot'  the  Mohawks  to  theii'  land, 


wnicii 


had    caiisrd    his    falhi  r  so    mii 


vexation. 


I) 


like  of 


.Nortlnuiiherland,  son  of  him  who  was  tin.'  friend  of  the  elder  Rrant, 
espoused  ids  cause,  as  did  other  persons  of  inllnence,  ami  lie 
received  assuniiwes  tliat  the  ixovermnent  would  LTrant  all  that  was 
asked.      lii>ti'iiclioiis,  linor.ilile   to   the    demands    of  the   Mohawks, 


were  1r;iusiiiilte(|  \n  tlie  coloiii;il   uoveriiMient  ;   hii 


t   dill 


lenities  were 


thrown  in  the  way  hy  the  pro\iiicial  authorities,  and  no  redress  has 
yet  lieeii  Lrrinled. 

Durinu'  this  \isit.  tlie  yoiin'j:  liraiit  addressed  ;i  letter  to  the  poet 
Campliell,  in  u  hicli  he  remonstnted  against  the  injustice  alleifed 
to  ha\('  lieeii  done  to  his  fallier's  charaetcr,  in   "(iertnule  of  \\  yo 


AIIYOUWAKillS. 


165 


rniiig."  Tlie  stanzas  coinplaiiiod  of  purport  to  form  a  part  of  a 
speech  uttered  by  ati  Oneida  chief,  who  came  to  warn  a  family 
that  tho  forces  of  Brant  and  Butler  were  at  hand. 

• 
"But  this  is  not  the  lime"— lie  startid  up, 

And  smote  his  hciirt  with  \var-(h'tiouncini;  haml 

"This  is  no  lime  to  fill  tin-  jovoiis  cup  ; 

The  raarnmoth  comus — the  foe — the  monster  Brant 

With  all  his  howling,  desolating  hand. 

These  eyes  have  seen  tiieir  blade  and  burning  pine  ; 
.\wake  at  once,  and  silence  half  your  land — 
Red  is  the  cup  they  drink,  but  not  with  wine: 
Awake  and  watch  to-night,  or  see  no  morning  shine. 

•'  Scorning  to  wield  the  hatchet  for  his  tribe, 

'Gainst  Brant  himself  I  went  to  battle  forth. 
Accursed  Brant!  he  left  of  all  my  tribe 

Nor  man  nor  child,  nor  thing  of  living  birth — 
No!  not  the  dog  that  watched  ray  household  hearth 

Escaped  that  night  of  blood  upon  our  plains! 
All  perished — I  alone  am  left  on  earth, 

To  whom  nor  relative,  nor  blood  remains, 

No  !  not  a  kindred  drop  that  runs  in  human  veins!" 

The  appeal  made  to  Campbell  by  a  son  who  was  probably  sin- 
cere in  the  belief  that  his  father  had  been  misrepresented,  touched 
his  feelings,  and  induced  him  to  write  an  apologetic  reply,  which  is 
more  honorable  to  his  heart  than  his  judgment.  The  only  objec- 
tion to  the  stanzas,  in  our  opinion,  is  the  bad  taste  of  the  plagiarism 
upon  the  speech  of  Logan,  contained  in  the  last  three  lines.  No 
one  who  has  read  the  melancholy  fate  of  the  Wells  family,  can 
hesitate  to  acquit  Campbell  of  injustice  ;  nor  is  there  the  slightest 
doubt  that  the  same  language  would  be  true  of  numerous  scenes 
in  the  life  of  that  bold  desolator  of  the  fireside,  Thayendanegea. 
Chief  Justice  Marshall,  who  is  above  all  reproach  as  a  historian, 


150 


BlOCJRAl'IIV. 


and  MS  a  <j<'ii1l»'nian  of  |)tir()  and  clcvaled  M-ntinicnts,  was  not  con- 
vinced l)V  till'  U'ttrr  ol'.Iolin  Brant,  but,  in  liis  second  edition  of  tin; 
"  I, iff  of  Wasliini,'loii,"  wliicii  was  piihlisliod  several  years  after  the 
appearance  of*  that  letter,  reiterates  the  account  of  the  massacre  at 
Wyoniin"/,  in  which  Brant  is  stated  to  be  the  leader  of  the  Indians. 

On  his  return  from  Kngland,  the  Mohawk  chief  seems  to  liave 
•fiven  his  attention  to  the  moral  condition  of  the  tribe,  whicli  had 
been  ureatly  ueylected  during  tbo  war  between  Great  Britain  and 
tlie  rnilcd  Slates;  and  in  the  year  IS'2!),  the  "New  England  Cor- 
jioration,"  established  iu  London,  by  charter  A.  D.  HifiiJ,  for  the 
civilization  of  the  Indians,  jiresented  him  with  a  splendid  silver 
cup,  bearing  an  inscri])tion,  purporting  that  it  was  given  "In 
acknowledgment  of  his  eminent  services  in  promoting  the  objects 
of  the  incorporation." 

In  ]8:J2,  John  Brant  was  returned  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Parliament  for  the  county  of  llaldimand,  which  includes  a  portion 
of  tlie  territory  granted  to  the  Mohawks.  Tiic  election  was  con- 
tested upon  tli(^  ground  that  the  laws  of  Upper  Canada  re(piire  a 
freehold  ipiaiification  in  the  voters,  and  that  many  of  those  who 
voted  for  Brant  held  no  other  titli's  to  real  estate  than  such  as  were 
derived  from  the  Indians,  who  had  no  legal  fee;  and  the  scat  of 
John  Brant  was  vacated.  It  was  not  long  after  this  decision  that 
Brant  and  his  competitor,  Colonel  Warren,  both  fell  victims  to  the 
cholera. 

Kli/abcth  Brant,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Thayendanegea,  was 
married,  some  years  ago,  to  William  Johnson  Kerr,  Esq.,  a  grand- 
sou  of  Sir  \\  illi:im  John.son,  and  resides  at  the  family  mansion  at 
tlie  head  of  Lake  Ontario. 

'I'lie  \\  idow  of  'I'hayendanegea,  ujwn  the  death  of  her  favorite 
son  John,  conferred  the  tith;  of  chief  upon  thu  infant  son  of  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  Kerr,  and  (lied  on  the  'ilth  of  \ovember,  I'?!]?, 
thirty  years  lo  a  day  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  at  the  good 
old  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 


HOOWANNEKA. 


IloowAWKKA,  the  Little  Elk,  was  a  chief  of  the  Winneki-ro 
nation,  who  served  with  some  reputation  on  the  side  of  the  British, 
in  the  hist  war  hetwceu  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States.  At 
the  termination  of  hostilities,  when  it  was  found  that  the  British 
had  made  peace  for  theiDsclves,  leaving  their  [ndian  allies,  residing 
within  the  United  States,  at  the  mercy  of  tiie  latter  government, 
llio  VVinmibafroes  reluctantly  soiifrlit  protection  under  the  American 
flag.  Iloowanneka  was  among  tlie  (irst  who  l)ecame  convinced  that 
his  nation  had  hcen  seduced  by  specious  promises  into  an  unnatural 
war  against  those  whose  enmity  must  lie  fatal  to  their  existence, 
and  under  whose  friendship  alone  they  coidd  continue  to  have  a 
resting-place  or  ;i  name.  llnited  witli  tiiose  who  held  similar 
opinions,  he  exerted  a  sahilary  influence  over  his  fierce  associates, 
in  restraining  them  from  further  outrage  upon  the  American 
frontiers;  and  he  remained  afterwards  a  friend  of  our  peopK;  and 
government. 

The  Little  Elk  was  descended  from  the  Caramanie  familv,  the 
most  distinguished  band  of  his  nation.  He  was  a  tall  nne-looking 
man,  and  had  some  reputation  as  a  speaker,  but  has  left  no  s|)ecimen 
of  his  eloquence  upon  record,  lii  the  portrait  wliicli  accompanies 
this  sketch,  he  appeared  in  the  costume  in  which  he  presented 
himself  before  the  President  of  the  United  States,  at  Washington, 
in  1824,  when  he  visited  the  seat  of  government  as  a  delegate  from 
his  nation.  It  nuist  have  been  a  singular  scene,  which  exhibited 
the  savage  orator,  painted  in   fantastic  style,  and  clad  in  these  wild 

(  1-.7  ) 


lod 


HKMiUAl'llY. 


:,ud  i)i.luivs(i.io  hal.iliiueiit*,  addrc'ssiii-  iho  .„rravo  aiul  .li^M.ili.'.l 
headol  tlio  Aiiu'iicaii  imoplc,  in  one  of  tlu;  fsalouiis  i.f  llir  W  latt- 
House.  Till!  rrcsiaciil  and  his  cal.iiiot,  uilli  tlie  diploiiiatisis  and 
other  visitors  who  arc  usually  iuvitud  whuu  u  spectacle  of  this  kind 
is  presented,  must  have  ullbrded  a  slrikiuij  contrast  to  the  war 
chiefs  and  orators  of  a  suvago  horde  decked  out  in  all  the  barbarian 
magniiicence  of  beads,  paint,  and  feathers,  with  their  war-.lulw, 
pipes,  and  banners. 


JOHN   KOSS. 


John  ]U)^!i.  Ill  lii.M  inotlicr's  sidt.',  was  of  .Scotcli  (Icsociit.  FIih 
liiiiiKHjitlicr,  .Iciliii  .MfDoiiiilil.  was  Imumi  ut  Iiiv«M'iu'sh,  Scotlaiul. 
alidiit  1717.  N'isitiiiL"^  fiOiidoii  wlu-ii  a yoiitli  ot'iiinctiM'n  years,  lu'  iiu-t 
a  ((iiiiitrviiiaii  who  was  coiiiiii^i'  to  Aiiu'iica,  ami  catcliiiij.'  the  htpirit 
ofadvoiitiirc.  Iicjoincil  liim.  lauding'  in  Cliarl('>*t(iii,  S.  C,  in  1700. 
Willie  lure,  lie  heard  of  a  iiiereaiitilo  liouse  in  Aii^qtstn,  Georgia, 
uliieh  attracted  him  thither,  and  lie  entered  it  an  elerk.  Ili.s  suc- 
ce-s  in  husiiiess  iiis|iiie(l  eonli<lenee  in  his  eniplovers.  who  sent  him 
III  Kort  fiond'in.  (.11  the  Ihtntiei- of  the  State.hnilt  hy  the  IJritish 
(iosernnieni  ni  17oC,  to  (k|)en  and  sui)erintend  trade  anion;:;  the 
( 'herokees.  Tlie.se  lived  in  lilth'  towns  or  villages,  a  ll'w  miles  ajiart 
for  inntual  jn'oteetion.  and  to  preserve  the  hnnting-groiiiids  around 
set  up  l()r   himself"  in    husines.s,  and  married 


them. 


H( 


Minn 


.\iiii   Shorev.  a  hall-hlood  Clierok 


It   was  cnstomarv  with  the 


Iriiie  to  coloni/e  —  a  eoinpany  pushing  out  into  the  wilderness  often 


niMiiy  miles,  and  o[)eiiing  a  new  eeiitri'  of  tradie.      .McDonald  went 
with   one  of  the    migratory  colonies,   in    I77(),   to    Cliickan 


lanua. 


leie 


th 


inie  year,  was  horn  *■  .Mollie  .McDonald."     A  1 


ew  \ears 


later  the  family  remove.!  lo  Lookout  Valley,  near  the  sjiot 
•rated   to  iJhertv  and  the  Union   liv  the  hemic  valor  of  ( 


coiise- 


leiien 


Hooker's  eonimand,  in   the  aiitnmn  of  1^(1 


Whil 


e   residiiiL''  mi 


tl 


lis  romantic  region,  among  the  natives.   Daniel   1{ 


OSS.  oriuiiiallv 


from  Siitlnrlandsliire,  Scotland,  and  left 


an  orphan   in    Baltimore 


soon   after  peace  was  declared  witii  (Ireat    Hritain.  had 
iiied  a    Mr.  .Mavlierrv  to   Hawkins  Coiintv.  T 


accompa- 


ennessee,  and   canio 


tlown  the  river  in  a  tlat-hoat  hnilt  by  him.scif  tlir  trading  piirpi 


( i'''.i ) 


I  I'll) 


BTCXJRAi'Il  V 


'riicir   is  ail   nl)s(rii(ti(iii    in  the   T<'iiii('sso(«  Hiver  In-low  TiOokout 
Moiiiitiiiii,  ('(MiiiiclliiiL^  tilt'  lioats  {()  land  al)()vo,  at  a  |H)iiit  kimwii 


as 


U 


rowiis  i'crr\ 


'I'lic   liiiiiaii  town  was  callod   Sitoc( 


Tl 


ic 


arrival  ol"  the  straiiiiv  ciart  at  Sitcco.  on  tlic  way  to  the  Chickasaw 
country,  —  navigati-d  li\  I  toss,  and  having  on  hoani,  Ix'sidcH  valu- 
alilc  iiK'ivhandisi',  '•  Mountain  Lcadt'i  a  chi(.'f,—  sinvatl'-xciti'mi'iit 
at  once  tliroiiLdi  tin-  ('lu-rokcc  sctlU  nu'iit.  aii<l  the  {M-oplo  rallit-d  to 
iiH|iiirt'  into  the  (U'siu:iis  of  the  uiu-xiu'cti'tl  traders. 

A  coiisiilialion  was  held,  in  which  '■  Bloody  Fellow,"  the(,'herokcu 
(.'hid',  adsised  the   iiia>siirre  di'  the  whole   |iarl\  and   the  coiilisca- 


tinll   id'  the  Liond.- 


McDi 


,  ho  li\ed  lil'tceii  Miiles  distant,  was 


sent  liii'.  he  haxiii'j;  a  coiniiiiindini:  inllMcnce  ovei'  the  natives. 


ii( 


came,  and  iiijied  them  nut  to  harm  the  strainers;  .s«iyiiiii.  ainoiii.' 
other  ar.iriiinenls.  that  lloss  was.  lii<e  hiniseir.  a  Scotchman,  and  he 
should  le^rai'd  an  insult  to  him  a>  a  jiersonal  injury.  McDonald's 
iiddress  <'alined  the  wrath  ol'  the  ClieroUees,  aix'.  they  chanired 
llu'ir  tone  In  that  of  |iei>na>ion.  ollefinjr  inducements  to  lemaiii 
there  ai'  i  '••^lalilish  a  tradinj;-|io>l.  'i'lie  jtroposition  was  accepted. 
Daniel  lioss  soiin  alter  inanied  ••  Mollie  McDonald. '  lie  was  a 
freiiileman  of  irre|ii'oachalile  and  transparent  honesty,  and  carried 
with  him  the  entire  conlldence  of  all  who  knew  him.  lie  also 
.•li'jraled  to  dilVerent  portions  ol'  the  wild  lands,  diiriiitr  the  ne.\t 
t\\eiity  \ears  or  more,  and  hecame  the  father  of  niiu-  !,'I;'rcn. 
.hniN  \\a<  the  third,  and  was  horn  al  'I'nrkeytown.  •':.  the  Coosa 
Itiver.  ill  .Maliaiiia.  Octoherild.  IT'.Ht.  Hctiirninjr  to  Ilillstown, 
Lewis  was  iHtni  there,  who  is  a.ssociated  with  him  in  lahors  and 
tri;.ls  at  the  presnt  time.  Snh.sequenlly  ChickamaiiL^a.  and  .■'til' 
later  ('liattaiioo;:a.  iiecanie  hi>  place  of  residence. 

ecompanied    lis  paront.'^  to 


Wh 


ihoilt 


.M'vell    \ears  of  iiL'e 


III'  a 


Ilillstown.  I<irt\'   miles  distant,  to  attend   tl 


(Jn-en-Corn    KcHti- 


\al."     This   WIS    an    annual   aL-riciiltiiral    Kair,   when   liir  several 

ii\s  the   natives.  i;allierinj:   I'loni   all    parts   of   the    nation,  gave 

ihem.>'c!\es  lip  to  Ho(  ial  and  piiMic  entertainments.     The  trib«!  was 


•loll  N    JiOS: 


161 


(ii\  i.icd  into  clans,  and  i-m-li  niniilM-r  «il'  tlicni  roiraidiMl  un  iissociatt' 
ii>  a  kinsman,  and  lidt  iMUMid  to  >  \l«'nd  liospitalitv  to  him ;  ami 
tliiis  pruvision  wau  always  madi;  lui-  the  gathering  to  tin;  anniver- 
siiiv.  On  this  oeeasion.  John's  mother  iiad  divs.sed  him  in  his  lirst 
suit  alter  the  stvle  ol' civilized  life  —  maile  of  nankeen.  No  sooner 
was  he  at  play  with  \Hf\:*  of  his  clan,  than  the  lund  shunt  of  ridi- 
cule was  nimel  at  the  "white  hoy."'  The  next  morning,  while  his 
gnu  dmother  was  dressing  him,  i;e  wept  hitterly.  Inquiring  the 
eaiice,  she  learned  it  was  the  fear  of  a  ivpetition  of  llio  previonn 
day's  experieni;e.  The  tears  prevailed,  and  arrayed  in  calico 
frock  and  leggings,  and  mu*-easins,  with  a  bound  and  shout  of  joy, 
he  lelt  his  tent,  in  his  own  language. '•  at  home  again."  As  tiie 
large  family  were  old  enou;;li  to  attend  scIkmiI,  John's  father 
Ixiught  land  in  (ieorgia,  to  ivmuve  there  that  he  might  educate 
them;  hut  gave  up  the  plan  and  went  to  Maryville,  in  TennesMe. 
six  hinidred  miles  from  iiia  residence,  and  fd"te«'n  miles  from  Knox- 
ville.   and   employed   a   Mr.   (leorge    HarU'e    Davis   to    come   and 


instruct   his  children 


To  I 


lavc  this  ji 


ri\  ill 


cir<',  however   lu'  must 


obtain  permission  of  the  (jeneral  Council  of  tin*  nation.  The 
application  was  op|M)8ed  In  some,  on  the  grouml  of  an  unwilling- 
ness to  introduce  any  of  the  enstoins  or  habits  of  the  whites. 
Others  urged  tlu'  necessity  ol"  having  interpreters  and  |»ersons 
among  them  actpiainled  with  the  improvements  of  their  civili/ed 
iwighljors.  This  rea.soning  prevailed,  and  .Mr.  Hoss  had  the  honor 
of  giving  to  the  ('heroki-e  nation  the  lir>t  scIkkiI.  —  the  iH'ginning 
of  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  American  aborigines. 

After  a  fewyear.s'  culture  at  home.  John  and  Lewis  were  sent  to 
Kingston.  Tennessee,  to  enjoy  the  adviuitages  of  a  popular  school 
there.  John  iMtarded  with  a  merchant  naH)e<l  (  lark,  and  al.xo  acted 
as  clerk  in  his  store.  Kingston  was  on  tli'  great  emigrant  road 
from  Virginia.  .Maryland,  and  other  parts,  to  Nasliv  ille.  and  not 
far  fixim  Saith  West  I'oint,  a  militisry  post.  Al  Chattanooga. 
John's  mother  diid  and  wiis  buried,  —  a  great  lus8  to  him,  tu  whom 


1«2 


lUOUUAril  Y. 


slic  was  ji  rDuiiscllor  and  a  roiistaut  iViriid.  IHh  griiii(liiillu-r 
lavished  his  juirtiul  alK-ctiun  iii>oii  him,  and  at  his  death  lel'l  him 
two  ((doled  servants  he  iiad  owned  lor  several  years.  Alter  a 
clerkship  of  two  years  lor  a  titni  in  Kingston,  \onng  Hoss  retuined 
home,  and  was  sent  by  his  lather  in  search  ol'  an  aniit  in  liageii4- 
town,  Md.,  nine  hundred  miles  distant,  of  whuni,  till  then,  I'ur  ii 
lung  time,  all  traces  had  U'en  lust. 

On  hursebaek  and  without  a  eom|ianion,  he  eommiMirod  his  long 
and  solitary  journey,  lie  encamped  at  night  wl'.eri.'ver  he  could 
tind  a  shelter,  and  reached  salely  the  home  ol  i\n'  recently  dis- 
covered aunt.  Kurni>liing  her  a  hoise,  they  recrossid  Tenneswo, 
and  returneii.  alter  scM'ial  weeks  of  j)iigrimage.  to  the  de.suhito 
home  in  ('hiitlan<Hi;ra.  The  grandtiithcr  soon  alter  removed  to 
lirainard,  tiie  early  missionary  station  o!  the  American  Ituard 
anion''  thi'  t'lierokees.  situated  on  the  southern  iKirder  ofrennessee. 


ily  two  miles  tVom  the  (ieorgia  line,  upon  the  Itank  of  Chiel 


ka- 


mauga  Creek,  and  almost  within  the  iindtsol'the  bl(M)dy  liattle-lield 
ol'  ('hiekamaui.M,  being  only  three  miles  distant  from  its  nearuHt 
point.  (The  name  is  derived  from  the  Chickasaw  word  0/iitninia, 
which  means  "  gMid."  and  with  the  lermination  of  the  Cheroket; 
h'o/i,  means   (Iikk/  jilun .) 

In  anticipation  of  the  war  with  (Ireat  Ilritain.  in  1K12,  the 
(lovernmiiit  deterinineil  to  send  presents  to  the  Cherokees  who 
Inid  coloiii/.eil  west  of  the  .Mississippi,  and  Col.  Meigs,  the  Indian 
Agent,  employed  Hiley,  the  rnite(l  State.-  Interpreter,  to  take 
charge  of  ihein.  The  voyage  was  commenced,  but  hearing  at  Fort 
.Massas.  ten  miles  Im-Iow  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee,  thiit  the 
earllhpiake  shocks  which  had  been  felt  Inid  sinik  the  land  at  New 
Madrid,  the  party  were  alarmed  and  relnriied.  leaving  the  g(K)ds 
there,     t  ol.  .Melius  then  deputed  .loUN    |{oss  to  go  with   additional 


ff' 


Us, 


and    fCe 


tluni  all  delivered   to  the  Cherokees.     With  Join 


S|H'ars  a  hall-bl(MMl.  IV'ter  m  Mexican  Spaniard,  and  Kalsatchee  an 
old  Cherokee,  he  started  on  bi^  perilous  expedition,  leaving  Ilia 
lather's  landing  on  Chri>tmiH<. 


JOHN   luj.ss. 


itw 


At  IJattK'  Cic'i'k,  alU'iwaiil  liuurk-.s  Ft'iry,  lie  met  Iwaiic  IJiowii- 
luw,  unclu  ui'  I'arMun  iSruwiilow,  a  raiiioim  waterman.  Wiifii  lie 
,saw  Uoss  ill  his  r<iiiall  ctat't,  hound  on  the  lung  and  dungemus 
vo^agi',  —  his  boat  U-ing  a  claphoardi'd  ark.  —  he  swoix;  that 
('olt)nel  Meigs  was  stupid  or  rei-klt'ss,  to  send  him  down  tiio  rivei>i 
in  such  a  plight,  lie  went  with  him  eighty  miles,  and  to  within 
tell  miles  of  Kiioxville,  exehanging  a  keel-hoat  lor  his  crazy  craft, 
and  taking  an  order  on  the  tMJveriimeiit  lor  the  dillereiice,  declar- 
ing, even  it'  he  lost  it,  Joii.N  shouhl  not  venture  farther  as  he  came. 
.\t  Fort  Pickering,  near  Mem|ihi.s,  he  learned  that  the  (Jherokees 
he  was  seeking  had  removed  fmi'i  St.  Fninns  Kiver  to  the  Daide- 
iiell,  on  the  Arkansas,  which  then  contained  no  mure  than  '.kid 
whites,  and  he  directed  his  coursi-  thither. 

The  narrative  of  the  entire  e.xpeditioii.  —  the  si.\ty-si.\  davs  on 
the  rivers;  the  pursuit  by  settlers  along  the  bankf,  who  suppo.sed 
the  party  to  Ik;  Indians  on  some  wild  ad\eiiture  ;  the  wrecking  of 
the  Ixmt;  the  land  travel  of  two  hniidivd  miles  in  eight  day.s.  often 
lip  lo  the  knees  in  water,  with  only  meat  li)r  food;  and  the  arrival 
home  the  m-xl  April,  liringing  tidings  that  the  Creeks  were  having 
their  war-daiic"  on  the  eve  of  an  ouliireak; — these  details  alone 
would  make  a  volume  of  romantic  interest. 

The  ('n-ek  war  coiiimenccd  among  the  triln-  on  account  of  hostile 
views,  hut  SIM)!!  was  turned  upon  (lie  loyal  whites  and  Chei'okees. 
(If  the  lattei',  a  i-egimi'iit  was  foiined  to  coo|M'rate  with  the  Ten- 
iietsee  troops,  and  .Mr.  Hctss  was  made  adjutant,  (ienei'iil  White 
commanded  in  Kast.  and  (iciieral  ■lacksoii  in  West  'I'iMinessee. 
The  ('hci-okces  concentrated  at  Ti:rkey(own,  Is'tweeii  th<'  two 
forts  Armstrong  and  .*^(rauiliers.  The  Creeks  wei-e  widiiii  tweiity- 
(ive  miU's.  .\  Cifek  prisoner  had  escaped,  and  iiil(>riiiing  his 
people  of  the  ChiM'okei'  encam|niient.  they  coulil  Ik-  restrai'ieil  no 
longer,  hut  dashed  forward  to  meet  the  enemy.  I'pon  reaching 
the  place  of  eiiiampiiieiit.  they  loiiiid  only  the  relics  of  a  di'adi} 
light,  in    which  tieiieral  Collie,    under   .lackson,  had    routed    (he 


1(54 


J{10UliAl'll\. 


Creeks.  Tlio  Clierokrcs  ii'tmiifil  Id  Turkcytown  the  snnu'  nij^lit 
by  10  o'clock,  liaviiif:  iiiarclii'il  (illy  or  sixty  niilt's  (luaiiy  on  loot) 
since  the  early  n  orning. 

The  terrible  battle  at  Horseshoe,  February  27th,  1814,  which 
left  the  ljodi<fs  of  nine  hundred  Creeks  on  the  field,  was  followed 
by  u  treaty  of  peace,  at  Fort  Jackson,  witii  the  friendly  Creeks, 
securinj;  a  larg«i  territory  to  indemnify  the  Unit<;d  States.  In 
nuikiiig  it,  Mclnto.^h,  a  shrewd,  unprincipled  chief,  re|»resenled  the 
(.'reeks,  and  Coloml  Hrown,  half-lirother  of  Catharine!  the  first 
Cherokee  convert  at  the  Mi.ssionary  Station,  (he  Cherokee.^,  to  fix 
their  boun<lary.  Mcintosh  had  his  ccnifercnce  with  (Jeneral  Jack- 
son in  Lis  lent;  and  the  treaty  was  made,  so  far  as  Hrown  was 
concerned,  pretty  luuch  as  the  (i)rmer  desired,  in  reality  ini'rinjr- 
inji  ujM)n  till'  rights  of  (he  Cherokets ;  (lie  line  of  new  (erritory 
crossing  theirs  at  Turkcytown.  Coiiseipieiitly  a  delegation,  of 
which  Jtiii.s  Iio.ss  was  a  prominent  memln'r,  was  sent  to  Wash- 
ington to  wait  on  President  iMatli.son  and  adjust  the  difiiculty. 
.Mr.  (  rawlord.  Secretary  of  War,  decided  the  (juestion  in  favor  of 
the  Chenikees. 

The  nex(  (reaty  which  involved  their  righteoiu.  claims  was  made 
wi(b  tiie  ('liick;isaws.  whosi!  lM)niidarv-lines  were  next  fo  tiieir 
own.  (ieneral  Jackson  was  against  the  Cherokee  claim,  and 
atlirmed  that  he  wtmld  grant  the  Chickasaws  (heir  en(ire  claim, 
lie  otlcrcd  'be  tormi'r  an  annuity  of  !d('»<IOO  for  ten  years,  although 
they  had  refused  lK't()re.  (he  olli'r  of  a  i>eriiuiiient  annui(y  of  the 
same  amount.  This  negotiation  wiis  conditional  upon  (he  cnn- 
firmution  of  it  at  a  meeting  of  the  Cherokees  to  U'  held  at  Turkey- 
town.  The  Indians  came  togetiier.  ami  ix-fuMed  to  reeogni/.e  the 
treaty;  but  finally  (be  old  Chief  I'atbkilb'r  signed  it.  At  every 
step  of  dealing  with  the  aborigines,  wr  can  discern  (he  proud  and 
selfish  policy  which  declaivd  (hat  "(be  red  man  iiad  no  rigliis 
which  (he  wlii(e  man  was  iHHind  (o  i'espec(." 

In  18i(),  General  Jackson  was  again  commissioneu  (u  negotiatti 


JOHN    ROSS. 


166 


with  tliu  Choroktrs,  aiul  John  Hoss  was  t</  rqinst'iit  his  iu-oijIc. 
IJiit  beroro  any  result  was  ivacht-d,  Hoss,  .having  >;(jne  into  busi- 
ness with  Timothy  Meigs,  son  oi"  Colonel  Meigs,  went  with  him 
on  horseback  to  Washington  and  lialtimore,  to  purchase  goods 
and  have  them  conveyetl  to  Uossville,  on  the  Georgia  line,  at  the 
loot  of  Missionary  Uidge.  In  a  lew  months  Mr.  Meigs  died,  and 
licwis  Hoss  JK-came  partner  in  his  place,'. 

After  a  long  and  interrupted  passagi*  —  having  deer-skins  and 
I'lirs  for  trallic — from  Savannah  to  New  York,  and  then  to  Haiti- 
more,  he  returned  to  lind  that  lieneral  Jackson  had  prepared  the 
celebrated  treaty  of  lbl7.  A  council  being  called  to  explain  the 
treaty,  H(»ss  determined  to  go  as  a  liMiker-on. 

The  national  all'airs  of  the  Cherokees  had  been  administered  i)y 
a  council,  consisting  of  delegates  from  the  several  towns,  appointeil 
by  the  chiels,  in  connection  with  the  latter.  A  National  Com- 
mittee of  si.\teen,  to  transact  business  under  the  general  super- 
vision of  the  chiefs,  was  also  a  part  of  the  administrative  power 
of  the  nation. 

On  the  way  to  the  council  referred  to,  which  was  called  at 
their  capital  by  (jiovernor  Mc.Minn,  who  huu  charge  of  the  treaty 
oi  I  SI  7,  Judge  Hrown,  of  the  Committee,  meeting  Hoss  at  Van's, 
Spring  Place,  (jeorgia,  said  t*)  him,  "  When  wf  get  to  Oosteanulee, 
I  intend  t  »  put  you  in  lull !"  When  Hoss  objected  to  such  a  fate, 
not  guessing  the  import  of  the  apparently  profane  expression, 
Jutlge  Hrown  adtled,  that  he  "  intendeti  to  run  him  for  President 
of  the  National  Committe>'."  —  giving  his  views  of  t!ie  iinn/ort  of 
ollice-holding,  in   the  langUi\ge  employeil. 

The  council  met  in  the  public  stpiare.  S)on  after,  John  Kos.s, 
then  twenty-seven  years  of  age  was  calli'd  in,  when  Majt)r  Hidge, 
the  speaker  of  the  council,  announced,  to  the  nuKlest  young  man's 
surprise  and  conl'usion,  that  he  was  elected  I'rt\sident  of  the 
Nitional  Committee. 

When  the  tivaty  came  up  tor    discussion,  (iovernor    McMinn 


166 


BIOGRAl'II  V 


(•.\[)liiiiu'fl  it  as  iiioaniiig,  that  tliosu  who  omigiated  west  ol"  the 
Mi.xsi«.sipi)i  wt-w  to  have  hiiidM  tliero;  and  tho8c  who  remained 
riiiiir  under  the  laws  <>/  the  iSUitt;  <iiriii<j  up  to  the  United  States  there 
(M  uiHch  soil  an  was  occupied  witif.  Cinirles  II.  llieUf*,  a  chief,  and 
Huss,  went  into  the  woods  alone,  and,  seatiil  on  a  h)g,  eonferred 
sadly  together  over  a  Ibrni  ol'  reply  to  tiie  terms  of  treaty  as 
expounded.  Hicks  was  very  [)opidar  with  his  peoj)le,  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  converts  under  the  niissicniary  lalK)rs  of  the  Moravians. 
II0S.S  made  replies  in  opposition  to  the  governor's  construction. 

(Governor  McMinn  made  another  appointment  lor  a  meeting  of 
tiie  chiefs,  and  other  men  of  inlluence,  »t  the  Cherokee  Agency  on 
llighnas.see  River.  The  time  arrived;  —  the  liring  of  a  cannon 
o[)ened  the  council  daily  lor  three  long  w'^eks,  Mc.Minn  hoping  to 
wi'ai'  out  the  patience  of  the  Cherokees  and  secure  the  ratification 
of  the  treaty,  never  as  yet  liirmally  granted.  The  result  was  the 
appointment  of  a  delegation  to  Washington,  of  which  liicks  and 
Hosri  were  members,  —  always  the  last  resort.  Mr.  Monroe  was 
l*resid«'nt,  and  John  C.  Calhoiui  Secretary  of  War.  This  was  in 
Fehruary.  1819. 

.Meanwhile,  Governor  McMiini  allowed  the  time  designated  foi 
I  lie  census  to  elapse  without  taking  it.  leaving  the  exchange  of 
luids  witii  no  rule  of  limitation,  while  he  bought  up  improve- 
ments as  far  as  possible,  to  iniluce  the  natives  to  emigrate;  and 
then  rented  them  to  white  settlers  to  supplant  the  Cherokees,  con- 
trary to  express  stii)ulation  that  the  avails  of  tiie  sales  were  to  be 
appropriated  to  the  support  of  the  poor  and  infirm. 

In  this  crisis  of  alliiirs  it  was  proposed  at  Wasiiinglon  to  form  n 
new  treaty,  the  principal  feature  of  which  wa.s  the  surivnder  of 
territory  suflicient  in  extent  and  value  to  b(^  an  equivalent  for  all 
demands  past  and  to  come  ;  disposing  thus  finally  of  the  treaty  of 
1817.     The  lands  lay  in  Tennessee,  .\liibama.  and  (ieorgia. 

The  (lovernment  also  a.^sumed  tiie  respdusibiiity  of  removing  all 
the  "  squatters "  McMinn  had  introduced  by  his  undignified  and 


JOHN  uoss. 


167 


uiijimt  iiuuiaj^riiifnt.  Andrew  Jiu-ksuii,  tlnu  Miijor-tji-iieml  in  the 
rciriilar  iiriin,  was  cafled  iiik^ii  to  fxi-oute  tlie  comlitioii  of  tlio  new 
compact.  He  wrote  in  reply,  that  lie  liail  no  troops  to  spare;  and 
said  that  tlio  (Jheroiiee  Fiijiht-Horse  coni|>anie«  should  do  the  work. 
Colonel  Meigs,  the  Indian  Agent,  feared  the  effect  of  employing 
Indians  to  remove  the  white  intruders,  but  applied  to  the  chiefs 
lli(;ks  and  Pathkiller,  who  consented  to  let  them  take  the  field. 
The  command  was  given  to  Mr.  llos.s,  beeau.xe  it  was  urged  by 
Colonel  Meigs  that  a  pnemini-ntly  prudent  man  was  needed. 

Colonel  Meigs  ordered  the  horsi'inen  to  sim[il3-  warn  the  settlers 
to  leave,  lloss  protested  against  a  powerless  attem|it  of  the  kind; 
and  they  were  reluctantly  granted  authority  to  remove  those  who 
refused  to  go,  burning  cai)ins  and  corn. 

The  first  settlement  to  be  i)urged  of  intrudttrs  was  near  the 
Agency,  and  tiiese,  at  the  approach  of  Koss  with  iiis  troopers,  Hid. 
Finding  a  iiou.se  closed,  and  Indieving  tlu!  owner  within  prei)ared 
to  resist,  his  men  surrounded  it,  and  the  commander  made 
an  entrance  down  the  cbimnev,  but  the  object  of  pursuit  was 
gone. 

The  Light-IIorso  tr(K>ps.  though  the  chieflain  had  Ix'cn  unused 
to  military  life,  did  their  work  well,  necessarily  marking  their  way 
with  fire  anil  ruin.  At  Crow  Island  they  found  a  hundred  armed 
men,  who.  upon  being  approached  l)y  messengers  with  ])eaceful 
propositions,  yielded  to  the  claims  of  Cioverninent  and  disl>anded. 
In  Brown's  Valley.  Hoss  might  have  Ihhmi  seen  at  dead  of  night, 
Deput}'  Agent  Williams  keeping  sentry  ot  the  tent-door,  writing 
by  torchlight  his  despatches  to  Ceneral  Jackson.  The  General 
sent  Captain  Call  with  a  company  of  regulars  to  the  fleorgia 
frcmtier;  the  latter  passing  round  Lookout  Mountain,  a  solitary 
range  eighty  or  ninety  miles  long,  while  Ross  went  directly  over 
it.  Upon  joining  Call.  Mr.  Uoss  surrendered  lo  him  tlu'  military 
command,  and  returned  to  IJossville.  In  ISIS  he  was  elected  by 
Colonel  Meigs  to  go  in  search  of  a  captive  Osage  boy,  alx)ut  1!)0 


JOHN   ROSS. 


1111 


the  lw()  |triiifi|ial  oIluM'r.s  of  llic  CluTokt'C  nation.  Tlic  now  i-mi- 
^titutiiin,  siiniliir  to  tliat  uf  the  IU-|iul)lic,  wa.s  a<li>pttMi  in  tin*  r<iili)\v- 
in;^'  manner:  Tlic  connoil  |ir<i|ii)>ctl  ten  randidatA's,  tliri'c  ot'wliicli 
MC'iv  U)  Im'  t'lntcil  fniiM  fiidi  ilistiict  to  nu't't  in  conxention.  .Mr. 
Uos.s  \va.-4on(.>  of  tiiciii ;  ami  tiic  in.stiiiiin-nt,  ai'(H>|>tetl  tlii'U.  witii  iii.>« 
warniufil.  intfit'st  iirging  it,  was  tlic  following} ear  appVoved  l»y  tlie 
(.'oinicil.  It  lic'caniu  necessary  to  fill,  till  the  constitution  went  into 
eik'ct,  tliu  vacancies  made  hy  dealli.  and  Joii.v  Uo.ss  and  William 
Hicks  were  elected  chiels  lor  a  year 

At  tlie  e.\|»iration  of  (lie  term,  Mr.  Iloss  was  elected  I'rincipill 
<'liiel"  ol' tlu!  nation,  and  (leorj^i'  lionre\  S'cond  (  liief. —  each  to 
hold  the  oIluH"  lour  years.  Tin;  extraordinary  honor  has  Ix'on 
liestowed  inisou^dit  upon  .Mr.  Uoss,  of  reelection  to  the  high  [)u»i- 
tiun  without  an  iuteryal  iu  the  long  period,  to  the  pre.sent. 

We  haye  reached,  through  the  career  ul'  .lou.v  Uos.s,  the  lawless 
develo|)ment  or<"o\etousne.ss  and  .secessiou  in  the  treatment  ol"  tiie 
Cherokees  Ity  (leorijia.  .\ndrew  .Fa<'Usi)n  favored  the  doctrine  of 
Slalt'  lights,  which  .settled  the  claim  of  leuali/.ed  roliUry  iu  the  face 
of  the  constitution  of  the  (Jonunonwealth.  This  yyas  understood 
Ix'liiiv  his  I'lecliou  to  the  Presidency  liy  |)iiliticiaiis  who  waited 
upon  him.  lie  further  slated,  it  is  reported  autlmritatiyidy,  that 
he  aHirmed  the  three  great  measures  he  de>ireil  should  mark  his 
administration  now.  —  legislating  the  ("herokees  out  nf  the  State; 
the  death  of  the  National  liank  ;  and  the  e.vtiuguishment  of  the 
puhlic  deht. 

We  are  not  criticising  politically,  or  condemning  this  or  any 
other  executive  ollicer.  hut  stating  matt«'rs  of  accrediteil  historv. 

We  need  not  repeat  the  events  that  foHowed.  hrielly  nar- 
rated in  the  preceding  sketch  of  the  Cherokee  nation,  till  it 
rises  from  sulfering  and  banishment  to  [)ower  again  west  of  the 
Mississippi. 

When  the  dark  and  wrathful  tide  of  «ecessi«in  set  westward,  tJio 
disloyal  odicials  at  once  took  meaHures  to  conciliat*-  or  Irighten  the 


170 


ItlUd  IJAI'II  V. 


IndiaiiH  into  an  iilliaiicc  witli  tliciii.  Iii  iv^.tnl  to  the-  ('Ih'I'oUooh, 
tlicy  partially  siiecft'ilfd,  making  an  alliance  prinripally  with  wtnil- 
thy  hall-biTi'ds.  The  Creek  chief  Opotohlevohola,  whose  memory 
of  past  wrongs  was  hitter,  Haid  he  nuist  '•fight  the  (leorgiaux;" 
and  he  did,  with  the  aid  of  loyal  Cherokees,  In  a  sncccssrid  and 
daring  attacli.  .loiiN  Knss  was  eoiisidted  by  (lovenior  Jtiiter,  of 
Arkansas,  hut  evaded  the  ((nestion  of  Cherokee  aetion  in  the  con- 
flict;  and  when  Colonel  Solomon  marched  into  the  Indian  (*oun- 
try,  the  Cherokees,  who  before  the  battle  of  Hird  Creek  Ibrnied  a 
secret  loyal  league,  hehl  a  meeting  at  night,  took  HeUd  annnuni- 
tion  ston'd  near,  and  fought  the  enemy  the  next  day;  relieved 
from  the  terror  of  Hebel  rule,  they  hailed  the  Federal  army  ^' ith 
joy,  and  Hocked  to  the  stamlanl  of  the  Union.  tScarcely  had  .his 
loyalty  been  declared,  bell )re  Solomon  inarched  —  with  recruits  an*i 
all.  'Jj'JOO  men  —  again  out  of  the  territory,  without  any  apparent 
reason,  leaving  the  Cherokees  and  the  country  he  wus  to  deleiid  iu 
a  more  exposed  conditi(»n  than  before. 

Park  Hill,  the  residence  of  Mr.  Koss,  was  forty  miles  from  the 
road  Solomon  took  in  his  nfiKit,  —  for  this  was  practically  the 
character  of  the  movement.  Colonel  Cooper,  the  liu-mer  United 
States  Agent,  having  under  his  comiminil  Texans,  Choctaws, 
Chickasaws,  and  Creeks,  was  ready  to  sweep  down  on  Park  Hill, 
where  aroimd  the  ('hi'#f  were  betwccu  two  and  three  hundred 
women  and  children.  Colonel  Cloud,  of  the  Second  Kansas  Itegi- 
ment,  while  the  enemy  were  within  twenty  miles,  marciied  forty 
miles  with  five  hundred  men,  half  of  whom  were  Cherokees,  reach- 
ing Park  Hill  ut  night.  He  said  to  Mv.  Koss,  '•  I  have  come  to 
escort  you  out  of  the  country,  if  you  will  go."  The  Chief  inquired, 
"  How  soon  must  I  leave?"  The  ivply  was,  '■  Tt>-morii)w  morning 
at  six  o'clock." 

With  a  couple  of  (Munjvwagons,  containing  a  few  household  efTccts, 
family  |)ictures  cut  from  their  frames,  and  other  valuable  artich^s 
at  hand,  Mr.  Uo.ss,  with  about  fifty  of  the  whole  number  there, 


JOHN    ROSS 


171 


•ta, 

t'H 
10, 


liii.stoiied  toward  our  liiii.>,  liuinlri  Is  of  iiiilos  away.  AugtiHt  Itk, 
181)1,  he  rcaolu'd  his  l)rotlit'r  Lewirt'  i»lan',  and  lound  \m  ruriiituro 
dt'Mtruyod  and  tin*  lioiiso  injurt'd.  At  midnight  tlioy  renunied  the 
llight  oi' terror,  crossing  (Jrand  Hivor,  when!  they  woidd  Inive  heen 
eiit  ofl',  had  the  enemy  known  their  eondition.  The  next  day  a 
courier  came  from  I'ark  Hill,  liriiiiring  tiie  sad  tidings  that  the 
mansion  of  tiie  Cidef  had  fallen  int^j  (.'ooper's  hands.  The  work 
of  pluiider  and  ruin  soon  laid  it  in  ruins,  and  tlie  country  desolate. 
Tiie  Cherokees  were  roblM'd  of  horses  and  everything  that  could  Imj 
used  by  the  Uehels.  They  were  scattered  over  the  plains,  shelter- 
less, fanusiiing,  and  skinnishing  with  tlu'  enemy.  .Mr.  lioss  and 
his  company,  afti-r  weeks  of  perilous  travel  and  exposure,  sullering 
from  constant  fear  and  the  i  Icments,  reaclu'd  Kort  licavenworth  ; 
hut,  as  he  icelingly  remark«'d,  "the  graves  of  the  Clierokees  weix; 
scattered  over  tlie  soil  of  .Missouri,  Arkansa.s,  and  Kansas." 

Mr.  l{()S.s  spends  nnich  ol  his  time  in  Washington,  watching  fiir 
the  favorable  moment,  if  it  shall  ever  come,  to  get  the  ear  of  the 
(iovernment,  and  secure  the  attention  to  the  wants  and  claimH  of 
his  people,  demanded  alike  by  justic(!  and  humanity. 

A  puldic  meeting  was  held  in  (Joucert  Hall,  I'hlladelphia,  in 
Mandi,  l.SlU,  which  dri^w  together  an  immens*'  crowd,  and  was 
addressed  by  .Mr.  Ross;  ex-Governor  Pollock  ;  Colonel  Downing,  a 
full-bl(H)d  (!herokee,  a  Itaptist  minister,  and  a  lirave  oflicer ;  Captain 
.McDaniel ;  Dr.  Hrainard  ;  and  others.  The  inti-rest  was  deep  and 
abiding,  but  the  dillicnlts'  in  the  way  of  ii|>]»cal  for  redress  by  the 
aliorigines  has  ever  been,  the  corruption,  or.  at  i)est,  inditlcrence  of 
(lovernment  ollicials.  For.  whatever  the  natural  cliaracter  of  the 
Indian,  his  prompt  and  terrible  revenge,  it  is  an  nndenialde  fact,  a« 
stated  by  IJishop  Whipple  in  his  late  plea  for  the  Sioii.x,  n-ferring  to 
the  mas.xaci-es  of  1862,  that  not  an  instance  of  uprising  and  slaugh- 
ter has  occurred  without  the  provocation  of  brok«'n  treaties,  fraudu- 
lent trallic,  (\r  wanton  destruction  of  property.  It  is  also  true, 
that  when   kindly  treated  as  «/  iitin/,  instead  of  an  outlaw  lit  only 


.lOlI  N   liO.SS. 


I7;i 


nacriluM",  mo  fur  iin  tlic  riiiiiiiicrciiil  eHtiiniite  Im  (•(inccniKl,  in  sIuvoh 
wliich  limi  coiiu'  t«)  liiiii  li-oiii  l\um>  loft  liiiii  liv  a  jjiamHiitlicr,  of 
w  li(»iii  lu'  waj*  a  >,'ivat  Hivin-ilf,  wan  ^"(O.dOO.  Ut-.siilcM  tliis,  tlio  prtHliict 
(>r  tlin'c  liimtlicd  nvri'x  ot'ciillivaU-il  laiitl,  jiint  >,'atli»'r<Ml  into  l»arii.«i, 
and  all  the  ricii  t'nrnitinc  ol'  his  nianMion.  went  into  tlif  cncniv's 
liandn,  to  Ik-  cairifd  awav  or  (K-mIio^ od,  —  niakin><  tin-  loss  of  pos- 
Bt'HsionH  niort'  than  i^HlO.OdO. 

diii'f  John  Ukss.  who,  in  tho  h<»|t<'  and  i>\|MMrtati(in  of  Hocin;; 
liis  iKMipIt!  i'k'vat<il  to  a  placo  licHidu  llif  Kn^diHli  st(K'k.  caxt  in  hirt 
lot  witli  thi'in  in  early  yonth,  wht'ii  worldly  |)roM|H'ctH  Imrkoncd 
iiiin  to  another  sphere  of  a<'tivity, —  has  U-en  identified  with  their 
pro^ncHs    lor    half  a    century,   and    i.s   still    a 


ivinj;    sacrifice 


on  the  altar  of  devotion  to  his  nation.  His  moral  and  reli^'ions 
charuoter  is  inistained.  iiis  |N>rsoiial  appearance  venerahle  and 
attractive,  and  hin  name  will  he  im|)erishal>le  in  the  annalM 
of  our  country. 

Mr.  Uo.s.s  has  lalK)red  untirinirly.  .Mince  his  return  to  Philadel- 
phia, to  secure  iusti<'e  and  relief  for  his  suHi'rinL'  people. 

As  the  last  hitter  cup  of  ailliition  pres.^id  to  his  lips  amid 
domestic  hereavement  which  removed  from  lii.s  side  his  excellent 
companion.  enemicH  have  Hou).dit  to  deprive  him  of  his  otlice.  and 
ftain  his  fair  fame  with  the  charjre  of  deception  and  disloyalty. 

The  Chief  still  liolds  hin  jMJsition  of  authority,  and  his  gocwl 
name  will  reiiuiin  under  no  permanent  eclipse;  whih'  all  tnio 
heart.s  will  lonjr  for  delivc-rancc  to  \m  iiatio  i,  and  that  ho  may 
live  to  see  the  day. 


f 

■  ! 


WATCH  KM OANE, 


\\  A  n  in.MnNM:,  or,  The  Oniior,  llir  tliinl 


■I   of  llif   low  ays, 


Wll 


s  hum  III   the  old  loway  villiiyr,  on  Duk  Moiiu's  Hi\rr,  at  tli 


IH 


tiiiH     ii((ii|iii(|    liy 
Ii 


.Ilk,    !!iiil,    ill    \'^'.\'-<,    \\a>    aliniil    lil'tv-lwo 


ycr.r.o  <>l  atff.  In  i«'C'illiiiyf  Iiik  cailicst  rcfoln'ctions,  lir  ti-lis,  iin  tlio 
Iii(.:::iiN  inoHtly  <!<>,  tliat  lie  li^'^aii  in  lHi\lt(i(Hl  to  kill  small  ^aint* 
with  llu'  Im)w-  ami  arrow .  \\  lini  li  lufani"  larjj;«'  nioiiKli  t«)  list! 
linaTiiis,  lie  in'ocnird  a  low  In  if-pii-cr,  or,  a^:  tlir  iilira.sr  is  i)|io:.- 
llic  lioiilcr,  a  sliot-Kiin — a  wt;.|ion  roiisitltni)  oC  far  iiifcrinr  (lijjiiily 


to  till'    iiioii'  ilraiiU   rillr.      W  \\    mh'Ii  was  tin 


awr    iiis|iMr(l    in    his 


iiiiihI  i>\  thf  rllicts  of  unnpowilcr,  that  lu-  was  at  lirsl  alrHiil  to  din- 
cliar^r  liis  i^iiii,  and  thnw  a  hlankit  oM-r  his  Itrrast  and  shor.ldrr 
lulori-  lit-  Miitiiri'd  to  l(  \  1  I  thr  |iiiir.  His  lirst  rx|>rriincnt  was 
ii|ion   a   wild    tnrkrv,   wh.   h    In-    killrd,  and   al'ti'i'   'hat    hi>   hiintnl 


without   liar. 


Ins  ociiirri'd 


'loir   Ik-   was  thirticii,    lor   at    that 


iigf  he  killri!  di"'i  "•iin  his  ^iiii.     .\  I  :.ixttrn,  In-  wtnl  to  war,  killed 
an  Osaur,  and  t<Hik  a  iiiicr  of  a  si-alp.    His  Ifiidrr  on  ihat  ocniNiun, 


was 


W 


riiiiutan  .,  or, 


•in,' 


iinni  II  ho  ijivis  his  ojii 


II I  till 


Alt 


rr  a  loim 


tinir,  III'  aU' 'II  «M'til  out  with  a  war-|iarlv  iindrr  .N<ito\aiilu  r,  or 
Oiii  nil  Ajiproarhini;  a  rani|i  ol  thr  Missoiiris,  sonir  ol  their 
Kwittesl  \oiiiio  null  went  tor\<,ard,  dashed  int.' the  <  ani|i,  des|iatelied 
three   men,  and    ritiirned,  sa\iii'^    tlie\    had    killed   all       lie  \\as   in 


tl 


u'  Kainit  alVair   vmiIi    Noti-lieniiiie,   when    the  ele\en   were    killed, 


and  reiiiemhers  thai  anioni;  the  siaiii  was  a  -,^reat  ehiel  He  slesv 
Hone  hnnsi'ir,  Init  striiek  tin'  lead  and  t<  ok  three  sealps,  wl  leh  Ik 
r«!guriltd  as  the  greater  exploil. 


Bio(;u.\niv 


17.^ 


Alter  llifsr  cvt'iitx,  llic  Oratiir  liiul  the  inislniliiiif  In  Itiw  ii  lirnthtT, 
wliii  ■  >  sliiiii  liy  tilt'  OsiiL'is,  mill  «  Ik  sr  lU'iilli  it  Imimiiic  his  ihity, 
:is  ;i  wai'i'ini',  ;tiiil  !i  iiiiiii  iil'  spirit,  tn  avciiLit'.  (Mi  siirli  ocrasiiiris, 
till'  lii<li;iii  iliii's  lint  act  n|M>ii  tlir  |ii'iiiri|ili'  lit'  till'  ri\ili/.!'il  iliii-lliHt, 
\vli<mi>  rliii'l'  aim    sniiis   li>   lir    In  ximlicatr    his  nun    foiiraifr,   liv 


inakiiii;  a  show  nt   ri'sciitiiiriil. 


Ill 


s   nhjcrt    is  In  a|i|ir;isc   ;i..    spirit 


of  his  il ascil   iVithil   liy  the  ilcilli  nl"  tlio  slayer,  ami.  it   siiat   Im- 

lint  prai'tii'alilr,  liv  slii'ililiiitr  the  IiIinnI  ut  some  other  eiieun'  >i\'  Ium 
faiiiiK  nr  Irilie;  ami  he  prepares  iiinisell'  Inr  the  explmt  will   ev<>rv 


care  ami  suleniinU   « 


hiel 


I  Is  euiiei  Mill  liiii'ssarv  I"  insure   siieeess 


l'l\rr\  anl  sii),n_r|.»trtl  liv  siiperslitiini  is  iiivukeil.  while  a  slmlieil 
iitleiitiiiii  IH  sr|\en  In  e\i'rv  eireiiiiislaiii'e  iiiiliealeil  In  the  mure 
nitioiial  sa'jaiit\  ami  evperieiiee  111' the  warrior,  as  iemliie_r  to  remhr 
the   iiieililateil    lilow    sv\  ill    ami    fatal       lie    aeeoriiiii<_'l v    lasteil    ami 


priiveil  a  loiii;  timr 


■  lien  he  went  out  ami  killeil  a  rieer  iiml  a  in- 


ami  maile  a  least  in  honor  >>|  the  (ireal  Spirit,  to  \\  hieh  all  the 
warriors  III  hi-  vilLi-je  ui-re  iii\itei|.  lie  now  lieiaim  \er\  aii^rv, 
ami  prolesseil  to  tiioiirn  greatly  lor  lii.s  lirother,  «\  hose  spirit  was 
\<>r\  iiiihappN,  ami  lonlil  Iiml  no  rest  so  Imii,'  as  the  iiiiiiilerer  lived 
to  InhinI  III  Irniiiiph  over  him  lie  ealleil  ii|miii  Ins  Irnnils  >s  ho 
were  wiliiii!.'  to  liillow  liiiii,  ami  all  warriors  who  |n\ei|  the  war- 
jiath.  anil  all  muiiii;  men  who  thiisteil  Inr  ilistimtion.  to  ^atlur 
aronnii  Iiih  war-pole ;  ami.  when  the  volmiteers  were  enlleeleil,  lie 
san^  tor  them,  ami  the\  ilaiieeil — he  recoiiiitiiiir  the  Mrtnesol  the 
ileeeaKeil,  ami  iiiipreeatiiej:  veiiueiiiiee.  ami  they  respomline  |i\ 
L'niiits  of  approltalioii,  ami  \ells  of  passion.     Then   lie  s.'inu;  In  the 


wnmeii,    who   al>n    ilaneiil — .lie!    all    iiiiiteil    in    hnpiiii;    tin 


Cle.it 


Spirit  woiilil  prn.sper  his  praiM'wortliy  ntulertakinn;  I'ivially,  lie 
tojil  liiH  juirty  that,  ut  the  emi  nt'  thirteen  iliiyN,  lie  woiiht  leail  Iheni 
out  to  seek  the  I'ih* — that  in  a  ilreani  lie  hail  seen  an  nlil  man,  ami 
\saM  toll!  that,  if  he  siieee'-ileil  ill  killing  hilii,  lie  woo'lii  also  s!av 
inanv-others     lie  helieveil  the  vision,  ami  iirconliiiuh   ihe\  hail  not 


none  I'ar  w  Ik 


II  th 


■\    met  an  .•leeij 


M 


Issniiri,  wlin  \\;is  \erv   iiali 


ami 


170 


\V  \  rcUKMn  \NK 


UN  hi*  was  n■l'(l^lli/«■ll  :i>  mii'  wlin  liaii   sliiiii  nciiiv   Ici\\;i\s.  tlirv    ai- 
triliiiti'il   Ins  lialiliios  tn  iln-  iiiiiurriiiiM  iiiunlirs  In-  liml  i-iiiiiiiiilliil. 


II 


DM  tlir\    ^li'W 


•lit  llii'  riNl  (if  tlir  ilniiin  uas  not  riillillcd.  lliniii/h 


llir   0|  llnl-    (•ninrdltfil    luilisrir   Willi    tllr    Ixlnl'  tiinl    it    Would     lilciM' 

till'   ill   till'  t'liil       III.   tlifrrforc,   lalji'd    liis    mhiiii;   iiirii    ti><.'rllirr 

iilfjiiii;  liiit  llirv  will'  ilis|iirit<'il   l>v  liis  luriinT  ill  kih hm,  nml  oiilv 

iiiii'  .'itrrnil  til  liijiiiw  liiiii.  \\  itli  this  riiiii|iiiiiiHii,  he  wmt  tn  tin* 
wt'st  liM'K  III  (iniiii  UiMT,  iiiiii,  iiaviiiir  nillnti'il  smnr  nl  liis  ti'ilM> 
wIkhii  ill  lint  In  tlir  wa\ ,  ruiiinl  liiiiistir,  at  lriii;tli.  at  tlir  lirail 
III"  t\M'iil\-t\Mi  null  Ml  rliiiu  w  itii  a  |i;irly  of  <  Ka'_'r>,  llirv  altiirkiil 
tliriii,  atiil  Kiliiil  mil'  man,  \v|iirli  M't<iii  '•>  liaxi-  Imiii  rniisiili  rnl 
MitiNtiii'tnrv  lis  till'  li\iii'j  il  lint  li\  till' ill  ail,  till'  till'  |iarl\  irtiirnril 
ill  l>innI  N|iiritM.  Mr  stall's  lliat.  |ii'r\iiiiis  tn  liis  ^niiiir  mil  I'll  ll'is 
«'\|M'ilitiiiii,  it  was  iiiHlrrstiMHl  llial,  il  an  inrinv  was  killt'il,  lie  was 
tn  In*  I'liiisiili'i'iil  as  a  umrral  nr  Icailrr;  ami  lir  ai'riirilincU  rn'rui'il 
Ins  |iri-Mriil  naiiH  .  \\  ali'iirinKiinc.  wliirli  sii;nifii  s  inn  Inulvi,  nr,  as 


\\v  s 


liiinid 


wn  ,  u"  Miiiti     'I'lii'  lilli' III  ( )iatiir,  li\   wlnrli  iir  i*  kimwii 
iniirc  I'oiiininnlv ,  was  uim  ii   liini  li\   tlir  \*liilrs,  lirraiisr   lie  spi'iiks 


\\r 


ill 


III   ronin  il,  and    is   iiHimlh    a|i|Hiiiilril   In  rrti  nc   msiIiii>  an 


di'|iiitjitii)iiN. 

On  nil**  ni-rasinii,  w  In  II  tliirt  warrmr  was  i  nuiiLii  d  in  an  )'X|i(di- 
timi  tiuaiiiftt  tlir  Simix,  lii'  riuiri-ivni  thai  lir  slniiiid  iml  liavr  liitlt 
to  l,ill.  and.  i|iiitlinir  liis  i'niii|i.iniiiiis,  lir  w  andriid  n|V  liy  IiiiiiniII  in 
(U'liri  II  i>r  ailvrllllirr.       His  nlijiTl  m  rins  In  liMM    I't'i'll  In  Call   III   \v  itll 

■Diiir  iiidi\  idiial  nf  till'  ini-iin  ,  \s  limn  lie  rnuld  hIii)  i-illi)>r  Ity  Ntrallli 
or  rnuraifv.  sn  that,  li\  shiddiiii.'  IiIikhI,  his  i'\il  drstinv  liiiirht  Ik- 
M'  nntmilM  nl    ihr  Indians  nn  tllcsr  slllijt'i'ts  cj'r  sn  run 


I'liaiiLrri 


I        'V 


liiMcd    that    llii'\    dii   nut   u'ivr   aiiv    viTV   distini-t    nri'nnnt   nf   their 
t«n|M'rHlillnlis      liiit    \M'  a|i|in'hrlid    that,  mi   niraNlnns    like    this,  tlii'V 


\>\   IiIihhInIh'iI, 


iiiiat{ini   tin  re  air  liad  sjiints,  Willi  mas  Im'  |iri>|tiliali 

mid  liial    It   inatlcrs   imt  Imw   llir   Milini   iH  hIiiiii       'I'Iic  mily  Sinnx 

that   III    nut  Hitli  vsas  u  littir  u'irl       Had   il   Im  i  ii  a   Ihi\,  ht>  wniild 


mod  u  Ai'iiv 


liiiM'  killi'il  liiiii;   liiit  he  ciiiitun-il  tlir  irirl,  ;inil  iii:i<Ih  lur  ii  primi'   t 
til  Ins  iit|i1:iiii,  who,  in  ri-tiini,  i,'!ivf  him  !i  striiit,'  of  \v;iiii|iiiiii 

Hi.iiilcs  thi'S(^  warlikr  iin-ulciit-s,  wii  iin-  h;i|i|iv  to  rr.unl  oilu-r 
iinrcdnlcs  wliicli  \vt!  liiivc  rci-rivnl  »••'  tliis  iliii  f.  'I'lic  liisl  one  hf 
r;il|s  Die  hi  1/ ill  III  II  (/  Iff  /lis  lllil/,illi/  pirsnits.  'I'llr  Sinks  h.'lil  killed 
two  lowiivs.  mill,  to  ;i\crl  tlir  uriilstoiiicil  Mlimmirc  oM  the  purl 
of  lilt'  liitttT,  II  ili'|illtiitloii  was  sent  to  oiler  il  eolii|ielisalloii  tor  \\\i' 
llijiirv.  'I'lie  ili'|nities,  reailnl  that  they  iiiiylit  not  lie  well  reeeiveil, 
halted  near  tlir  lowas  \illau*',  sent  liu'  the  nratoi'  :<■  emiie  lo  tiiein, 
and  solieiled  his  interposition.  Ila\iiiir  eoiiMented  to  liei'onn  the 
|M"i('eniaker,  he  inaile  a  present  o|'  se\eii  Maekinaw  li|.inl\el>  to 
the  loway  idiii'f,  and  then  L:a\e  the  Sanks  a  ke^j  n|  winsk\  to 
re\i\e  their  spirits,  and  enalile  them  In  <  :iter  the  viilai^e  without 
tear 

'I'lir  !o\va\  s  iieiiiu  at  war  with  the  ( )sai,'es,  on.  ol  the  wai -parlies 
n|  the  Inriiier  nation,  retiirniiii.'  home  Ironi  an  unsneeesslid  e\pe- 
ditiiin,  pUMHi-d  an  Am;  rn-an  Hettleineni  on  ilie  liontier  ot  Min-ohh, 
and,  with  that  desperate  propoiiMtv  tor  iiiisehiet  whieli  tlie  Indian 
alwavH  evinees  under  tliose  (iriiiinstani'es,  the\  stole  liiiir  horses 
The  danger  ol  sih-h  an  aet  arosi',  not  out  ol  tlie  \alne  of  the  pro- 
|H>rtv  luken,  lint  Irom  the  alarm  the  ontraue  would  ereale,  and  the 
retriiiiitioii  thai  the  men  ot  the  frontier  wonid  he  Mire  to  msii  ii|ion 
what  thev  wonlil  eiinsider  the  preltminar\  acl  ol  in  Indian  war. 
The  eliiel,  ihen'Tore,  desired  the  yoiintf  men  to  n  I'lrn  the  horses, 
hut  tluM  tlie\  dci'lined,  and  \\  atcheiiioniie  iiniiiediatelv  Uiiii.rht 
thrill,  and  Kent  tlieiii  iiaek  to  the  owners.  This  net  u;ained  hiiii 
Kfl'lll  I  ri'tlil  amoni;  the  people  of  the  Ixirder,  who  have  ever  sllli'e 
treated     him    with    i  oiiliiii  nee,    and     spoKeii     in     hi>    prais 


\ll. 


lliitl.  a  nniiilN'r  ot  the  Sanks  eaine  on  a  \isit  ol  eeri'iiiom  tn  the 
lowa\s — pi'oliaiilv  on  one  ol'  the  ocrasions  alliuled  to  in  the  lite  ot 
Keokuk — whi'ii  the  t)rator.  to  the  eredit  ol  his  Irilte,  presented 
lliciii  Willi  two  horses.  \t  another  lime,  an  i  Mto  paxintr  him  a 
Msil,  he   K  ive   liJH  ^iii-st,  at    ins  deparlure,  a  horse  and  a  line  ehnl 


~] 


178 


\N  A  re   IIKMONNi: 


cent,  fluch  as  tlit*  ^ovrriiiiifiit  distrilxitrs  tiiiiiiiiillv  .iiikuii:  iIic  IciuI- 
jiii,'  men  of  llic  IrilM's;  ami  lie  lias  always,  wlicii  il  has  licrii  in 
his  |)ov,<'r,  ilisplaycil  tiiis  kinii  of  liiirrality  to  tlmst'  who  visit  him. 
'I'liis  chief  sa\s  he  has  no  kno\vie<li>e  <if  any  tradition  of  his  triite 
hr\oii(l  J.ake  t'epin — that  is,  htt'ore  they  crossed  that  lake — a  ver\ 
ex|iressive  form  of  s|h((Ii.  iiidiealini;  the  mi),fnilorv  character  of  the 
|i(  ii|ile,  ami  their  own  I'onviction  that  they  are  stranirers  in  the  land 
the\  inhaliit  lie  only  knows  that,  on  the  shores  of  'hat  water, 
ilwt'lt  his  nation  iiefore  it  had  liccome  divided  into  the  W  innehatriH', 
die  (linaha,  the  Missonri,  and  tlu  loway  trdies,  and  this  he  was 
lold  ti\  \\i>  lather,  w  ho  derived  it  t!iiout:h  "iijlil  |iie  •eiiiiiy  anci's- 
Inrs  It  w:l^  llie  Will  ol  the  (ireat  spirit  that  the\  sliinild  not  he 
stationarv,    Ind    travel    Iroin    place    to    |ilace,    (iiltivatmu    ililfen  lit 


K roll  III 


im 


I  they  lieliev     tliat  tliev  will  oidv   continue  to  ha 


Ve  tr(HM 


cr< 


i|is  and   healthy  children  so  loii^    is  lhe\  ohey  this  law  ol   their 


natiiie 


Thev   had    hetter  corn,  m\<,  were   more   prospermis, 


iM-f 


ore 


the  division  ot    their  natinii  than  since 


T 


lev   lia\ c  a  >ecret  ainuiiLr 


tiiein   about    the   (ireat    Spirit,  w  liicli   it    woi 


lid    l>. 


inilllckv    to    te 


'I'hev  have  a  niimiier  of  ncdicinc  iia^s,  containing;  the  hcrlis  and 
otlii  r  articles  nsed  in  jii;jL(lin<;,  and  in  propitiatin:^  the  (ireat 
Spirit,    and    other    spirit.s,    \\liich    they    keep    in    a    lod^t  ,    i     .1    is 


iiHiially  siiiit  lip,  am 
•I 


that 


no  woman  is  permitt«'d  to  enter. 


itei; 


ire 


they  uo  'o  war,  they  eii'iay".  lor  lour  dav>,  in  rehuioiis  crremonii" 


•nlire   abstinence 


A    d 


dnrinK   wheli   time  tiie\   pracii 

hear  liavintf   lieeii   provided   liel'orehaml,  a  feiusl  is  m: 

fastini;   is  over,  and   a   ircneral   invitation  L;iyen  to  all  who  eh 


ecr  or  a 


Die  w  lien 


to  attend 


'IM 


le  oil!  men  are  iiiv 


ited  t. 


t  pray 


out   to  war  eii'^^ajje   ti'eipientlv  in  secret   piavc 


iio.se  who  are  ^oiiig 
;  and   the\    lu-litn'c! 


liiat   those  w  ho  pr 


,i\    insincerely  v\ill   have   iiad    luck.      \\  hen  aii\ 


disagreement  ore  urs  in  the  trihe,  a  .similar  feast  is  made  liir  the 
|nirjH>se  of  ellectin^  ;i  reconciliation,  and  the  chief  oilers  to  the 
|iarti.'S,  hetwfeii  whom  the  cpiarrel  exists,  a  jiipe  liiled  with  a  mix- 
ture of  drie«l  herlis.  which  thuy  call  the  (Iriitl  Spirit's  tobtuco.     It 


» 

BIOCJRAPIIY. 

17!» 

is 

l>i>li< 

vnl  t 

liiit    ileal) 

\V(.uIil  s|iiT(!ily  rollow 

a  re 

'iisal 

II 

SI 

ink 

•  th.. 

P' 

[IV    tl 

HIS  I)'iiiUt(m1. 

A  siii;.Milar  »'.\aiii|)li'  ol 

Sll| 

rrslit 

!■ 

• 

Ml' 

III-.'.! 

III 

lliis 

irilit 

iTcoiitly. 

A  mail,  haviiiif  lost 

lir-t 

<'liil< 

n 

'11 

l.v 

sii-k- 

III 

ss.  II 

Kllllil 

it   it  IiIk  i 

wty  to  ^(t  to  war  iiml 

'^llCll 

1  Ml  M  M 

1, 

ill 

(in 

IT  to 

cliaii^t 

1 

lliM 

1*      1 

lick.    Tlin  cliicf,  Wiiitc  CUuW 

1111                           1      . 

Imtt 

'  1 

MM'.   JINS 

.  1 

'11 

III.' 

1  tlic                ' 

|ifiiplf  oC  his  liaiitl,  iiikI  ciiili'avort'ii   to  |ir(nail  on   llii-  iinloiliiiiat 
jiiTsiiii  to  smoke  tlic  |)i|)c  of  |)<'aiT,  Itv  wliirli    lie  uinilii    he  |ilrili.'t'il 


til  lort'tio  liis   sjiiiifiiiiiarv    |  ur] 


l''i|iiliii<l    liiiii    iilivtiii:iti',   ami 


trariiiir,  pcrliaps,  tliat  tlir  trihc  v.oiilil  iir  iiivnlMil  in  a  v  ar  liv  the 
inratiiiitioii  ofoMt'  iiiiliviiliial,  he  |irrsriiti'il  llir  lirrraviil  talhc;'  vutli 
M  veil  lioi'srs  as  a  roinpi'iisittioii  I'or  Ins  Ions  SI,;'  llif  pip)  was 
irfiist'il;  ami,  a  \\\\  ilays  arirrwanls,  llic  piMir  man  lo>l  his  \\\U-.  in 
I'oiiscipii'iicc,  as  the  trilii-  liclicM'il,  ot  his  miii-i'oinpliaiiri'  \>  nii  an 
aiicii'iit  iisau;c  ;  hut  in  piinisliim-iit,  as  li<>  tlioiit^ht,  of  his  haviiiir 
ili'liiM'tl  to  shnl  ihr  lilooil  iil  an  cnriiiv.  ilr  will  onl,  ihri'ctorr, 
ami  killi'il  a;i  Omaha,  anil  was  salislirii.  'riii'\  I'oiiMdrr  ilniMsrlM's 
aiitliori/.cil,  ami  .somt'timt's  (-'.instraiiiiil,  to  aMiii^r  Ihc  iliath  ol' 
Irtrmls  who  ilic  a  natural  ilralli. 

Tills  I'hirl"  is  a  roiisin  of  \\  hill'  (loiiii,  whiiM'  limuraphv  was 
Hivcn  111  a  liiniirr  volnint'.  lie  wa-  a  nnml  man,  ami  yrratlv  hc- 
|n\nl  o\  Ins  Irilir;  ami  \\  ati'liiiiionnr  \vas  miirli  slnuk  vsilli  mir 
pii'Miri'  ol  him,  whirh  he  ilcilanil  lo  ln'  an  i\i  rlli  ni  liKiiuss. 
\\  iifii  a  i'op\  of  that  portrait  was  scut  lo  the  liilir,  lli.'\  were 
p;rie\i'il  .so  iinii'h  that  llicy  coiilil  not  hear  to  look  al  il.  Ii\i  n  the 
ehililreii  reinemher  him  well,  allhoiiL''li  se\eial  \ears  ha\e  elapMil 
HiiH'c  his  ileath,  .'iiul  ln"  is  slill  iiiouriieil.  Thix  lia\e  ne\ir  hei  n 
ai'i'n''<loini'ii  lo  jiirlures  <<(  iheir  fiienils,  aiiil  are  paiiieil  to  see  those 
thev  have  loxeil  ih.is  e\liiliilei| 

Slmrllv  alter  the  death  of  a  eliief.  it  is  usual  to  ho|i|  a  nieefint; 
tor  the  purpose  of  consoliim  the  survivinu;  family.  'I'lie  while 
coinpaiiy  is  formalK  scateil,  the  chiefs  in  one   place,  liic  luavcs  in 


amither,  ami   the 


lati 


\cs  nt    the    ileeeaM'il    in   a   ihii'il,    while    ihc 


w'oiii   n   ami   chiluren 


tlie  inlie   liirm  ;.  iircle  amn 


ml 


'resents 


180 


WATCH  i:.\l  O.N  NK 


arc  flirii  iiiiuio  to  the  faiiiily,  one  giving  a  horse,  anotlior  a  blniikft, 
and  so  on;  after  whic'i,  the  t'hit'fs  and  liravcs  speak  of  tht^  virtnes 
of  tlio  departed,  and  narrate  liis  exploits,  eacli  sjieaker  risin<r  in 
tiM'n,  and  the  wholo  aiKhtory  listenin*;  witli  f^reat  deeoruni.  'l"he 
(Hie  w  ho  pronounces  the  most  satisfactory  eulogy  is  treated  to  sonie- 


tl 


iing 


tod 


rinK. 


T 


o  or  tliroe  sucli  meetings  liave  Ih'cii  licld  iii 


lionor  of  till!  A\  liito  Cloud.  \\'atclieiiioiiiie  n  iatcs  that,  after  his 
lirotlier.  the  Crane,  died,  when  he  thoiiLdit  thev  had  mourned  hmir 
enoiiLili,  he  led  the  warriors  to  the  grave,  and  sealed  them  around 
it.  lie  told  them  they  had  nioiirned  long  enough,  and  that  it  was 
time  to  rul)  tlic  black  paint  oil"  of  their  faces,  aiul  to  resume  the  red 
paint.  He  tlieii  distrihuted  red  paint  among  tin  in,  and  afterwards 
li(|Uor. 


In  l''3S,  this  chief  had  hut  one  wife,  and  several  childre 


O 


lU'. 


of  his  sons,  then  about  nineteen  years  of  age,  had  been  for  six  years 


at  the  Clioctaw  acade 


my 


and 


anmiter,  whoso 


Iiid 


lan  name 


signifies  the  l{ainl)ow,  was,  at  that  time,  under  the  care  of  the 


missionaries,  who  called  her  Mi 


iry. 


KOTCIIIMINJ;. 


This  iii(livi(l\i;il  is  ;i  vilhiifc  cliiff,  or  iinifc  cliict",  nl"  llu'  fi.uavs, 
mill  rcsiilfs  ill  Snake  Hill,  on  tlui  Missouri,  alKtiit  fnc  iiui'.drcil  niijcs 
aliovc  llic  ciiiilliu'iicc  of  liiat  river  willi  tiie  Mississipiii.  He  was 
altoiH  furty  years  of  aije  wlieii  this  portrait  was  taken,  in  KM  His 
l)riet'  liistorv,  like  niajiv  others  rontained  in  this  series,  was  taken 


iVoin  his  own   reeital 


thronL'li   the  nieilinni  i>f  an  interpreter,  and 
adds  another  to  the  rnaiiv  e\  ideiiei's  allorded    in    these    volnnies  of 


the  saincnossnf  the  tenor  ot"  an  Indian  warrior's  life 


W 


iate\er 


ilV 


tiaxe  l)een  his  \ieissitnrles,  his  joys  or  his  snrrnws.  he  tells  onlv  <>f 
his  warlilu'  explnils.  'The  tonehinij  episudes  ot  donieslie  life,  whieh, 
in  the  antol)iiiMr|-a|iliy  nf  a  eivili/ed  man,  alVnrd  sneh  varied  and 
aifreeahle  pietin'es  of  Innnan  thoutrht  and  experienee,  hixe  sennclv 


!i  plaee  in   the   narrative  of  the  savage 


11 


e    iMiiV  have  a 


rellsli  I 


or 


home 


d  !i  slronir  love  for  those  w  h 


II  snrmund    Ins  eump  tn'e-- 


triendship,  and  paternal  lo\e,  and  eonjn<ral  atl'eetinn  niav  iiave  niter- 
wnvtn  their  tendrils  with  the  lihres  of  his  heart,  and  his  hosnin 
may  have  often  throhiied   in  jov  or  in  sorrow,  lint   he   is  silent  in 


reijard   to  all  sneh  emotions.      \\  hatev 


rr  iinv  have  li .in   Ins  e\p 


lieiiee.  he  has  not  ohserved,  alleiitiveh.  ll 


e  Iii:ti1> 


idows  of 


doMiesiic   life,  or  seorns  to  narrale  llieiii.  hut  delights  in  ile|iirliii!^ 

the  storms  that  lie  has  hraved  in  the  ehase  or  on  the  war-path. 

Notehimine,  or,  Xo  Hunt,  rememhers  that,  w  h'-n  a  1k>\,  he  killed 

sipiirrels  and  other  small  tiame  with  the  Imw  and  arrow,  and   that. 

when  he  t.rre\v  to  he  a  vonim'  man.  he  used  a  i_nni.  and   puisned  the 

deer  and   the  elk.      W  hlle   \e1  a   \outh,  hi'  |oMied  a  war-part^,  aiu' 

(  IM  1 


Il!i 


llloCKA  I'llY 


\\<  III  ii((iiiiiHt  till'  (>I)H-M,  lull  till'  i\|ic<litinii  wiiN  iiiiNiircfMitrn!  liiK 
tiiNt  iiilvrtitiii'r  WIIN  with  II  |iiirt\  uiiiiir  till'  Oriitor,  wIud  tin-  only 
tr<>|i|iN  tMiiii-ii  wiiH  tlir  Nriil|i  1)1°  an  njil  liiiliaii  Aifinii  lie  \M-iit 
iiUaiiiNt   till'   Omiui'h,  Mitli   ii  liiru'r  war-|>artv,  of  Mliirli   liin  Catln'r, 


M 


aiiliaw'uaw,   wax  Itaiirr,   ami    \\  aiiatliiir^n  wum   nimiiiiI    hi   coiii 


liiaml  :   llirv  killrtl  trii  ( >Mi|ri-H,  iij'  >>l|ii|ii  Nolfliiiiinu',  tllr>ll^'ll  htiil  a 


Mi\ ,  Ni-al|M')l  iiiir 


'I'lif  IK  XI  liiiir,  Im'  \\riit   niiiltr  IiIn  lii'ollur,  tl 


Id 


\\  lilt)' I  lixiil,  iiu'iuiiHl  (li)'  Stoiiv.  Ila^ill^  iliMii^criii  an  iin  !iiii|i- 
iiii'iil  III  till'  riHiiit,  wliii  wvw  »l.>i'|iiii|{  ariiiiiiil  lour  lin>,  llir\  n-i'|it 
Mi<allliil\  u|ii>M  (III  III,  ^|M ml*:  K  llm  wlmlr  iii|{lit  in  vuililniii;  ami 
a|i|triiarliliiu  tlir  Iinv  At  ilaylirrak,  llir>  niitlirij  with  hiiililrii  oiiMt 
ami  Imiil  yilU  ii|niii  llir  rm  aiii|iiiiriit,  \i>l*  iiiiiiiiir  Im  iii^  iiiniiiitctl 
nil  thr  Haiiir  hiitxr  uilh  W  liitr  (/IoihI  A  tail  aiNiiil  liiAiiwii  a(;o 
nli'iii  K  ilowii  with  a  I'liili  (III  lirtit  ut  thr  i'iiriii\  ulm  Irll  'I'liti 
Simiv  Hriillrml  thriiiM'h in  iimt  tlii'  prairir,  ami  llir  liulit  iN'i-aiiiu 
Ijriifi'al.  'I  hi'  \\  hill'  I  ImihI,  ahamlii|ilii|{  liix  linrw,  ilaHlii-il  iiitii  tliii 
hulth'  nil  tiNil,  ami  liMik  a  nmuiiiiii  |iriMiiirr.  'I'Iiih  r\|M'i|itiiiii  wuh 
iiiiilri'laKiii  til  rrvi'iit{i'  tin-  ih-atli  cif  (Im  I'athrr  ol'  \\  iiiir  (liiiul,  who 
hail  Imtii  kilh'il  liy  thi'  Siiiiix. 

ii'iiiiii'   miw   tiMik  I'niiiiiiaiiii  iif  a  part)    ol   tuiiil\-liM'  ^^ar- 


Nnl.i 


riiiri*,  ami  uiiil  ii|,'aim«t  the  OKa^rh,  Imt  iliil  m>t  Niirn-i'il  in  imciing 
\uih  aiiv  III  llir  latttT.  An  iiliHiirrrhMfiil  \\ar-|iarl\  in  :iI\ui\n  iIiiii- 
^rriitiH  III  rrii'iiil  urttti';  ilis'i|i|Kiiiiirii  m  ihrir  |nir|MiKi'N  ni  i*'M'iii{ii 
'<r  |iliiiiilrr,  llir>  iN'riHiir  imM'r  than  i>i'iliiiai'i\\  Iri'iNiiniN,  ami  \t  rciik 
llii'ii'  hirv   ii|Htii  aii\   hi'l|ilrNN  wamh'ii-rK  ulm  iiia\   Tail  in  llirir  way 


It 


itiM    xi  u  nil  ihiM   pai'ly 


M.'i't 


iiii{    I 'All  Kaiihax,  a  man   a 


ml   I 


UN 


IK- 


vuli'.  thi'\   itiiii'ilrn-il  thrill ;  thr  Irailrr  lakin({  n|Miii  Iiiiiim  ll  ilir  il 
tinuiiiNlii'd   lioiior  ni'  Killinii,  with   hi»  ikmi  liami,  ihr  Miuiian,  who 
MUM  M'ly   hamlMiinc.     'I'hi'   m|hiiI  ^ainiil   In    iIiin  rxplnil    \.a»  nix 


linrm'N,  III'  u  lioiii  thrs  killril  Imir,  ami  ntaimil  thr  nihil'! 


mr  I 


h.l 


tin-  ({itilaiit   iiiIm  iitiii'i'N  III   ihiN  rnnra^riMiN  huml   nil   Inri'.     I'lvc 
yi'iirH  |iri<viiMiMl\ ,  iIh    nnialniN  had   Kiilril  a  mui  of  \\\v  ( 'ritiio,  an 


iiwin   li'iiiliT,  Willi  hail    nuu'i 


hi'il 


a|;aiiiNt  tliiiii,  anil  hum 


lindi 


iig  an 


I 


NOTCHIMINK. 


1S3 


Oiniilin  wjiuiw  it  till-  Imiisc  nfii  Inulcr,  tlicv  rnilcavori'tl,  witli  pi  is 
zcul,  til  ii|i|icii.si'  tlir  N|iirit  nrtlif  (liad  liy  \\lii|i|iiiii;  her;  iiiul  ai^iiin, 
by  killiiiu'  a  I'iiwiirr  Mipiaw,  wlio  wiim  ko  iiurnrtiiiiiiti*  as  t<>  tall  iiitn 
tlifir  iiniiils.  Tlii'Nr  I'aitM  tlirow  a  stroiiir  liirlit  ii|miii  the  priiiri|tl('. 
nr,  ratlur,  iiii|iiilsi',  n|'  I'l'Vtniri'.  wliirh  niiistituti-s  so  proiiiiiit'tit  it 
fualiin*  ill  tlio  IiKJiaii  clitirarlrr.  iiikI  hi  tin-  liistnrv  aii<l  policy  ol'tlitt 
snvaLTc  trilirs.  It'  it  was  a  sciix'  of  luiniir,  a  drsirc  tu  wipe  out  an 
insult,  or  aiiv  otlitT  I't'i'liiiir  iisnalJN  rotiiprrlirtiilnl  iiuilcr  the  term 
c.liiviilric,  wliirh  Htiiniilatfil  tlir  liuliaii  to  tlii<  pursuit  ot' ViUii^faiicc, 
tlic  livi's  ol"  woiiicii  ami  rliilrlnii  would  Im-  scrun'  I'roin  liiH  rcHfiit- 
iiiriit  Hut  Wi'  t'liid  that  tlir  Indian,  wlii-n  s<-rkiii<r  rcvciitrr,  and 
('s|ir<-ially  wIkii  liiilcd  in  an  alt4'iiipt  u|miii  tlir  priinar\  olijrct  ot' Ins 
liiitrrd,  Ih-iiiuh's  possrsscd  ot°  an  insaliati'  and  iiimiiu'  thirst  tor  IiIinhI, 
whii'li  ini|M-ls  hiin  to  I'lid  his  passion,  not  oiilv  with  lli«'  (-ariia;;c  ol 
ihi*  liclpli'ss  ol'thc  liuiiiaii  rair,  lint  ixm  Iin  the  slau^ditrf  ol'doiius. 
til-  iiiiiiiialH. 

Still  prosrciitiiiK  tlic  ainiriit  feud  witli  tin-  Osiiif«'f«,  our  hero  \v;w 
Muhst'ipiintU  one  ol  a  part\  ot'  twthr  who  wmt  a^'aiiist  that  trihc 
uiidrr  'lotaiiahui-a,  tin-  I'l  Inan  'I'hrs  tapturid  litt\-si\  horses 
'riii'ii  III'  went  against  the  ( 'iiiahas,  and.  on  this  ix-rasion,  distiii- 
IfiiiHlifd  iiiinst'lt'  iiv  nisliin^  into  a  loilirr,  in  w  hii-li  wrr  Imrsis  as 
wi'll  iiM  pi'oplc,  and  rapturing  sf\tii  lioisrs,  llinr  of  whnli  hr 
nirrit'd  hoinc,  Iravini,'  I'lnir  tiiiit  wire  of  littlr  vahir.  Ills  inxt 
(■\p«'ditioii  tioaiiist  ilir  I  )sa^'cs  was  IiIihhIIiss,  iVfiitiiatiii"^'  in  the 
niptiiri'  ol   a  I'l'W  hoist  s 

Two  M'ars  a;io,  lie  riidcavorcd,  uiisui'ccssl'ulK ,  to  niakc  pci.cr 
with  till'  Oinahas,  whose  villairc  hr  viMti  d  tor  that  purpose  Ih 
aftlTWardM  WlUlt  to  St  l,oiii«.  to  ell'eet  the  >ailie  olijeil  throll^ll 
tli>  iitervcntion  of  (ieneial  (lark,  when  it  v<-"-  -irrani-Mi  that  he 
slioiild  \  isit  \\  iishiii^Mon 

lie  says  lliat   the   praetiee  of  his  people    Iiiim  lH>eii,  previously  to 
l^nii  (T  to  war,  to  send  nul  hunters  to  kill  a  de(<r,  whieh  is  eaten,  and 


pruver  lor  Mieeess  made  to  the  (ireat  Spirit.     On  sueli 


orcawoiis, 


181 


nnxiK  M'liv. 


lit'  hiiM  liiul  iln-iiiiiH,  mill,  ai-niriliiii;  to  ilit>  iM'liof  nf  liin  fiitliors.  |iiit 
full  tiiitli  ill  llicm.  I'lfviuiis  to  ^;iiiiitr  out  us  leader  of  a  partv.  lie 
(Ireaiiieil  of  laKiiiLj  two  prisoners;  in  tlie  event,  one  of  tiie  enemy 
was  taken,  ami  one  Killed,  wliicli  he  deemed  a  snnieieiit  Inllilmenl 
In  sotiio  instniiees,  possil)ly,  tlie  wanton  i-nu  It y  of  tlie  Indians,  dis- 
iibived  in  tlie  slaii<j[liter  of  \Mimen,  or  of  elianee  eaptives  not  taken 
in  battle,  nia\'  lie  tlie  result  of  ii  (hmirc,  or  a  fanei-d  necessity,  to 
fulfil  a  dream  'Tlie  faeiilty  of  dreaniint!:  is,  in  many  respects,  so 
important  to  tlie  leader  of  an  it;norant  and  sn|ierstitioiis  liand,  and 
is  so  freipienllv  everted  for  the  purpose  of  (pu'llii!^  or  directiii,'^  the 
Havai^e  mind,  that  the  chiefs  have  a  strong  indnceiiient  to  hrin;,' 
iiiKint  events  in  accMi-daiice  with  their  real  or  |)re1eiided  visions. 

'I'iiis  chief  has  hut  one  wife  and  three  cliildrcn  livintf.  Sinci; 
Killiiiii  the  I'awiiee  woman,  he  has  inclined  to  peace,  and  has  been 
fiieiullv  towards  the  whites. 


*>. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


y 


A 


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2i 


1.0    If"^! 


I  I.I 
11.25 


12^ 


S.^i 


1^    i^ 

uui. 

m 

U    IIIIII.6 


—    6" 


V] 


<^ 


/i 


^%J^*>  y 


%. 


y^ 


^^  1^' 


V 


/: 


7 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


33  WEST  M^IN  STREET 

WEBSTER, NY.  MS80 

(716)072-4503 


^ 


186 


BIOGRAPHY. 


3'(niii<^  man  proposes  to  join  tliis  society,  he  applies  to  a  member  to 
propose  and  voncli  for  him.  The  apphcation  is  communicated  to 
the  head  man  of  the  order,  who,  in  a  few  days,  returns  an  answer, 
which  is  simply  affirmative  or  negative,  without  any  reason  or  ex- 
planation. If  accepted,  the  candidate  is  directed  to  prepare  him- 
self Of  this  preparation  we  have  no  knowledge;  but  we  are 
informed  that  a  probation  of  one  )'ear  is  imposed  previous  to  initia- 
tion. Tlie  society  is  sometimes  called  the  Great  Medicine  of  the 
Sauks  and  Fo.ves ;  it  is  said  to  embrace  four  roads  or  degrees — 
something  is  to  be  done  or  learned  to  gain  the  first  degree ;  a  further 
I)rogress  or  proficiency  leads  to  the  second ;  and  so  on.  Admission 
is  said  to  cost  from  forty  to  ffUj  dollars,  and  every  subsequent  step 
in  the  four  roads  is  attended  with  some  expense.  There  are  few 
who  liave  attained  to  the  honors  of  the  fourth  road.  These  particu- 
lars have  been  gathered  in  conversation  with  intelligent  Indians, 
and  embrace  all  that  is  popularly  known,  or,  rather,  believed,  on 
this  curious  subject.  The  traders  have  offered  large  bribes  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  information  in  regard  to  the  mysteries  of  the 
society ;  but  these  temptations,  and  the  promises  of  secrecy  failed 
alike  to  lead  to  any  disclosures.  Many  of  the  tribes  have  similar 
institutions. 

Taiomah  was  one  of  the  delegation  led  to  Washington,  in  1824, 
by  General  William  Clark,  and  signed  the  treaty  of  that  year.  He 
was  then  in  very  infirm  health,  as  his  portrait  indicates,  and  died, 
soon  after  his  return  to  his  people,  as  is  believed,  of  consumption. 


WABAUNSEE. 


In  the  portrait  which  accompanies  this  sketch,  we  are  happy  to 
have  it  in  our  power  to  exhihit  an  excellent  likeness  of  a  verj  dis- 
tinguished man.  It  is  to  be  regretted  tliat  so  few  anecdotes  of  him 
have  been  preserved;  but  his  general  character,  which  is  well 
known,  is  that  of  a  warrior  of  uncommon  daring  and  enterprise, 
and  a  chief  of  great  intelligence  and  influence.  His  tribe  take  pride 
ill  recounting  his  numerous  feats  in  war;  and  the  agents  of  our 
government,  who  have  met  him  in  council,  speak  in  higli  terms  of 
liis  capacity  for  business.  Though  cool  and  sagacious,  he  was  a 
bold  orator,  who  maintained  the  interests  of  his  people  with  untiring 
zeal  and  firmness.  He  was  the  principal  war-chief  of  the  Pottawati- 
inies  of  the  Prairie,  residing  on  the  Kankakee  River,  in  Illinois. 

The  following  anecdote,  while  it  marlvs  the  daring  spirit  of  this 
cliief,  is  more  especially  characteristic  of  his  race,  and  is  one  of  the 
numerous  instances  of  individual  exploit  with  which  the  tradition- 
ary lore  of  the  frontier  abounds.  Some  years  ago,  a  small  hunting- 
party  of  Pottawatimies,  having  wandered  far  to  the  west,  were  dis- 
I'overed  by  a  band  of  Osages,  who  surprised  them,  and  slew  t\\o 
or  three  of  their  number.  It  seems  almost  marvellous  that  such 
transactions  should  so  frequently  occur  in  the  story  of  Indian  life — 
tliat,  in  a  country  of  such  immense  breadtli,  w  ith  a  savage  popula- 
tion so  comparatively  small,  and  with  the  melancholy  proofs  before 
their  eyes  of  a  decrease  in  numbers  so  rapid  as  to  threaten  a  speedy 
extermination  of  the  race,  the  individuals  of  different  tribes  seldom 
meet  without  bloodshed.     The  propensity  for  carnage  seems  to  be 

(187) 


1S3 


BIOGRAPHY. 


an  innate  and  overmastering  passion,  which  no  reflection  can 
chasten,  nor  the  saddest  experience  eradicate.  Even  their  dread 
and  liatred  of  the  white  man,  and  the  conviction  of  the  common 
fate  which  impends  over  the  whole  race,  in  consequence  of  the  supe- 
rior numbers  of  tho.se  who  are  daily  usurping  their  jjlaces,  have  no 
restraining  effect  upon  their  wanton  prodigality  of  blood.  Although 
it  is  obvious,  even  to  themselves,  that  the  most  fruitful  source  of 
tlicir  rapid  decay  is  to  be  found  in  their  own  uidiappy  dissensions, 
tlieir  destructive  habits  continue  unrestrained  and  .so  many  are 
their  feuds,  so  iceen  their  ap])etite  for  blood,  so  sliglit  the  preten(;e 
npon  winch  the  tomahawk  may  be  lifted,  that  two  hunting-parties 
from  opposite  directions  can  scarcely  meet  in  the  wilderness  with- 
out suggesting  a  stratagem,  and  leading  to  the  s])illing  of  blood. 

But,  common  a.s  such  deeds  are,  they  do  not  pass  off  without 
important  consecpiences.  Although  murder  is  an  ever3day  occur- 
rence in  savage  life,  the  Indian  resents  it  as  a  crime,  and  claims  the 
right  to  avenge  the  death  of  his  friend.  On  the  occasion  alluded 
to,  one  of  tlie  slain  was  the  friend  of  Wabaini.sec,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  revenge  the  violence.  It  was  long,  liowever,  be'.bre  an 
opportunity  oflered,  the  distance  between  tlie  lands  of  the  Potta- 
watimies  and  Osages  being  so  great  tliat  the  individuals  of  the 
respective  tribes  seldom  came  in  collision.  But  no  interval  of  time 
or  distance  cools  the  passion  of  revenge  in  the  Indian  bosom.  At 
length,  while  on  one  of  his  hunting  e.xpeditions,  Wabaini.see  heard 
that  some  Osages  were  expected  to  visit  one  of  the  American 
military  posts  not  far  distant,  and  thither  he  bent  his  steps,  intent 
upon  the  completion  of  his  purpose.  On  his  arrival,  he  found  the 
Os-igcs  there,  and  they  met  coldly,  as  strangers,  without  friendship, 
and  without  feud.  But ;  mothered  fires  burned  under  that  exterior 
apathy.  Wabaunsee  was  determined  to  imbrue  his  hand  in  the 
blood  of  the  tribe  in  whose  lodges  the  scalp  of  his  friend  was  hung ; 
and  the  Osages  no  sooner  learned  the  name  of  the  newly-arrived 
visitor  than  they  guessed  his  purpose,  anil  took  counsel  with  each 


WABAUNSEE. 


189 


!)tiier  how  they  might  avert  or  anticipate  the  blow.  "Wabaunsee 
pitched  his  camp  without  the  fort,  while  the  Osagos  thougiit  to 
secure  their  safety  by  sleeping  within  the  fortress.  But  neither 
breastworks  nor  sentinels  iifford  security  from  the  hand  of  the 
savage,  who  is  trained  to  stratagem,  who  finds  no  impediment  in 
the  obscurity  of  the  thickest  darkness,  and  can  tread  the  forest  with 
a  step  so  stealthy  as  not  to  alarm  the  most  vigilant  listener.  In  the 
night,  Wabaunsee  crept  towards  the  fort,  and,  evading  the  sentries, 
scaled  the  ramparts,  and  found  admission  through  an  embrasure. 
Alone,  within  a  military  post,  surrounded  by  men  sleeping  on  their 
arms,  he  glided  swiftly  and  noiselessly  about,  until  he  found  his 
victim.  In  an  instant,  he  despatched  one  of  the  sleeping  Osages, 
tore  the  scalp  from  his  head,  and  made  good  his  escape  before  the 
alarm  was  given.  As  he  leaped  from  the  wall,  a  trusty  companion 
led  up  his  horse,  and  the  triumphant  chief  mounted  and  dashed  off, 
followed  by  his  little  band ;  and,  before  the  sun  rose,  they  had 
ridden  many  miles  over  the  prairie,  and  shouted  often  in  exultation 
and  derision  over  this  bold,  but  impudent  exploit. 

In  the  war  of  1812,  this  chief  and  his  tribe  were  among  the  allies 
of  Great  Britain,  and  were  engaged  in  active  hostilities  against  the 
United  States.  But,  at  the  treaty  held  at  Greenville,  in  1814,  he 
was  one  of  those  who,  in  the  Indian  phrase,  took  the  Seventeen 
Fires  by  the  hand,  and  buried  the  tomahawk.  He  has  ever  since 
been  an  undeviating  friend  of  the  American  government  and 
people. 

He  was  one  of  the  chiefs  who  negotiated  the  treaty  of  the 
Wabash,  in  1826.  At  the  close  of  the  treaty,  while  encamped  en 
the  bank  of  the  river,  near  the  spot  where  the  toAvn  of  Huntingdon 
now  stands,  he  engaged  in  a  frolic,  and  indulged  too  freely  in 
ardent  spirits.  A  mad  scene  ensued,  such  as  usually  attends  a 
suvjige  revel,  in  the  course  of  which  a  warrior,  A\ho  'cld  the  station 
of  friend,  or  aid,  to  Wabaunsee,  accidentally  plunged  his  knife  deeji 
ill  the  side  of  the  chief     The  wound  was  dangerous,  and  confinei! 


190 


BIOGRAPHY. 


him  all  winter;  but  General  Tipton,  the  agent  of  our  government 
in  that  quarter,  having  kindly  attended  to  him,  he  was  carefully 
nursed,  and  survived.  His  sometime  friend,  fearing  that  he  might 
be  considered  as  having  forfeited  that  character,  had  fled  as  so(m  as 
he  was  sober  enough  to  be  conscious  of  his  own  unlucky  agency  in 
the  'iragic  scene.  Early  in  the  spring,  General  Tipton  was  sur- 
])rised  by  a  visit  from  Wabaunsee,  who  came  to  announce  his  ow  n 
recovery,  and  to  thank  the  agent  for  his  kindness.  The  latter 
seized  the  occasion  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  the  chief  and 
his  fugitive  friend,  urging  upon  the  former  the  accidental  nature  of 
the  injury,  and  the  sorrow  and  alarm  of  the  offender.  Wabaunsee 
replied'  instantly,  "  You  may  send  to  him,  and  tell  him  to  come 
back.  A  man  that  will  run  off"  like  a  dog  with  his  tail  down,  for 
fear  of  death,  is  not  worth  killing.  I  will  not  hurt  him."  We  are 
pleased  to  be  able  to  say  that  he  kept  his  word. 

At  the  treaty  held  in  1828,  at  which  he  assisted,  one  of  the  chiefs 
of  his  tribe,  who  was  thought  to  be  under  the  influence  of  a  trader, 
after  the  treaty  had  been  agreed  upon  by  the  chiefs  and  braves, 
refused  to  sign  it  unless  the  commissioners  would  give  him  a  large 
sum  of  money.  Wabaunsee  was  very  indignant  when  he  heard  of 
this  circumstance.  "An  Indian,"  said  he,  "who  will  lie,  is  not 
worthy  to  be  called  a  brave.  He  is  not  fit  to  live.  If  he  refuses 
to  sanction  what  we  agreed  to  in  council,  I'll  cut  his  heart  out." 
It  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  was  prevented  from  putting  his 
threat  in  execution. 

In  '  832,  when  the  faction  of  Black  Hawk  disturbed  the  repose 
of  the  frontier,  it  was  feared  that  the  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawatimies 
would  also  be  induced  to  take  up  the  hatchet ;  and  it  is  supposed 
that  they  were  tampered  with  for  that  purpose.  They  were  too 
sagacious  to  listen  to  such  rash  counsels ;  and  Wabaunsee  relieved 
his  own  conduct  from  doubt  by  joining  the  American  army  with 
Ins  warriors. 

In  1833,  the  Pottawatimies  sold  their  lands  in  Illinois  and  Indiana, 


WABAUNSEE. 


191 


to  the  United  States,  and  accepted  other  territory  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, to  which  they  agreed  to  remove;  and,  in  1835,  he  visited 
the  city  of  Washington,  for  the  purpose,  as  he  said,  of  taking  his 
Great  Father  by  the  hand.  The  next  year,  he  led  his  people  to 
their  new  home,  near  the  Council  Bluff,  on  the  Missouri,  where,  in 
1838,  he  was  still  living. 


PESKELECHACO. 


We  regret  that  so  few  particulars  have  been  preserved  of  the  Hfti 
of  this  individual,  who  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  his 
nation,  and  whose  character  afforded  a  favorable  specimen  of  his 
race.  He  was  a  person  of  excellent  disposition,  who,  to  the  qualities 
proper  to  the  savage  mode  of  life,  added  some  of  the  Wrtues  which 
belong  to  a  more  refined  state  of  society.  But  such  is  the  evanes- 
cent nature  of  traditionary  history,  that,  while  we  find  this  chief 
invariably  spoken  of  with  high  commendation,  we  have  been 
scarcely  a^jle  to  trace  out  any  of  the  circumstances  of  his  life. 

Peske  echaco  was  a  noted  war-chief  of  the  PaA\-nees,  wIkj  visited 
Washin'.fton  City  as  a  delegate  from  his  nation  in  IS — .  Wc 
have  b  ad  frequent  occasions  of  remarking  the  salutary  effect  pro- 
ducer", upon  the  minds  of  the  more  intelligent  of  the  Indian  chiefs 
and  head  men,  by  giving  them  the  opportunity  of  A^-itnessing  our 
numLf^rs  and  civilization ;  our  arts,  our  wealth,  and  the  vast  extent 
of  our  country.  The  evidences  of  our  power,  which  they  witness, 
together  with  the  conciliatory  effect  of  the  kindness  shown  them, 
have  seldom  failed  to  maks  a  favorable  impression.  Such  was 
certainly  the  case  with  this  chief,  who,  after  his  return  from  Wash- 
ington, acquired  great  influence  with  his  tribe,  in  consequence  of 
the  admiration  with  which  they  regarded  the  knowledge  he  had 
gained  in  his  travels.  He  had  spent  his  time  profitably  in  observ- 
ing closely  whatever  passed  under  his  notice,  and,  in  proportion  to 
his  shrewdness  and  intelligence,  his  opinions  became  respected. 

He  spoke  frequently  of  the  words  he  had  heard  from  liis  great 

(192) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


193 


iiiUiiM-,  the  President  of  the  United  States,  who  had,  in  pursuance 
of  the  benevolent  policy  which  has  governed  the  intercourse  of  the 
ailministration  at  Washington  with  the  Indians,  admonished  his 
savage  visitors  to  abandon  their  predatory  habits,  and  cultivate  the 
arts  of  peace.  Peskelechaco  often  declared  his  determination  to 
pursue  this  salutary  advice.  He  continued  to  be  uniformly  friendly 
to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  and  faithful  to  his  engagements 
with  them,  and  was  much  resp  ><  ('id  by  them.  lie  was  a  man  of 
undoubted  courage,  and  esteemed  a  skilful  leader. 

The  only  incident  in  the  active  life  of  this  chief,  which  has  been 
preserved,  was  its  closing  scene.  About  the  year  1826,  a  wai'-party 
of  the  Osages  marched  against  his  village  with  the  design  of  steal- 
ing horses,  and  killing  some  of  his  people.  The  assailants  were 
discovered,  and  a  severe  battle  ensued.  The  chief,  at  the  head  of 
a  band  of  warriors,  sallied  out  to  meet  the  invaders,  and  the  conflict 
assumed  an  animated  and  desperate  character.  Having  slain  one 
of  the  enemy  with  his  own  hand,  he  rushed  forv\'ard  to  strike  the 
hodij,  which,  is  considered  the  highest  honor  a  warrior  can  gain  in 
battle.  To  kill  an  enemy  is  honorable ;  but  the  proudest  achieve- 
ment of  the  Indian  brave  is  to  strike,  to  lay  his  hand  upon,  the 
slain  or  mortally  wounded  body  of  his  foeman,  whether  slain  by 
himself  or  another.  To  strike  the  dead  is,  therefore,  an  object  of 
the  highest  ambition;  and,  when  a  warrior  falls,  the  nearest  warrior 
of  each  party  rushes  forward,  the  one  to  gain  the  triumph,  and  the 
other  to  frustrate  the  attempt.  Peskelechaco  was  killed  in  a  gallant 
endeavor  to  signalize  himself  in  this  manner. 
25 


AN  OJIBWA  MOTHER  AND  HER  CHILD. 


In  a  preceding  volume,  we  have  cxliibitocl  a  sketch  of  an  Indian 
mother  on  a  journey,  with  her  child  on  her  back.  We  present,  now, 
a  mother  in  the  act  of  suckling  her  infant.  The  reader  will  sup- 
pose the  cradle  before  him  to  have  been,  only  a  moment  before, 
leaning  against  a  tree,  or  a  part  of  the  wigwam.  The  mother, 
havinii  seated  herself  on  the  (jround,  and  dii^ennjajjed  her  breast 
from  its  covering,  has  taken  the  cradle  at  the  top,  and  is  drawing 
it  towards  her;  while  the  child,  anxious  for  its  nourislmient,  sends 
its  eyes  and  lips  in  the  direction  of  its  breast.  This  is  one  mode 
of  suckling  infants  among  the  Indians.  When  the  child  has  attained 
sufficient  strength  to  sit  alone,  or  to  walk  about,  the  cradle  is  dis- 
pensed with.  Then  it  is  taken  by  the  mother  and  placed  on  her 
lap,  she  being  in  a  sitting  po.sture;  or,  if  she  have  occasion  to  make 
a  journey  on  foot,  a  blanket,  or  part  of  a  blanket,  is  provided — two 
corners  of  which  she  passes  round  her  middle.  Holding  these  with 
one  hand,  she  takes  the  child  by  the  arm  and  shoulder  with  the 
other,  and  slings  it  upon  her  back.  The  child  clasps  with  its 
arms  its  mother's  neck,  presses  its  feet  and  toes  inward,  against, 
and,  as  far  as  the  length  of  its  legs  will  permit,  around  her  waist. 
The  blanket  is  then  drawn  over  the  child  by  the  remaining  two 
corners,  which  are  now  brought  over  the  motlier's  shoiilder ;  who, 
grasping  all  four  of  these  in  her  hand,  before  her,  pursues  her  way. 
If  the  child  require  nourishment,  and  the  mother  have  time,  the 
blanket  is  thrown  off,  and  the  child  is  taken  by  the  arm  and 
Bhoulder,  most  adroitly  replaced  upon  the  ground,  received  u]ion 

(194) 


niOGRAl'HY. 


19S 


tlu!  lii[)  of  the  mothor,  and  noiirislicd.  Otlicrwixo,  tlic  brtiiisl  is 
pressed  upward,  in  the  direction  of  the  child's  moutli,  till  it  is  able 
to  reach  the  source  of  its  nourishment,  while  the  mother  pursues 
licr  journey.  This  is  the  cause  of  the  elongation  of  the  breasts  of 
Indian  mothers.     They  lose  almost  entirely  their  natural  form. 

The  cradle,  in  which  the  reader  will  see  the  little  prisoner,  is  a 
simple  contrivance.  A  board,  shaven  thin,  is  its  basis.  On  this 
the  infant  is  placed,  with  its  back  to  the  board.  At  a  proper  dis- 
tance, near  the  lower  end,  is  a  projecting  piece  of  wood.  This  is 
covered  with  the  softest  moss,  and,  when  the  cradle  is  perpendicu- 
lar, the  heels  of  the  infant  rest  upon  it.  Before  the  head  of  the 
child  there  is  a  hoop,  projecting  four  or  five  inches  from  its  face. 
Two  holes  are  bored  on  either  side  of  the  upper  end  of  the  board, 
for  the  passage  of  a  deer  skin,  or  other  cord.  This  is  intended  to 
extend  round  the  forehead  of  the  mother,  as  is  seen  in  a  previous 
volume,  to  support  the  criuUc  when  on  her  back.  Around  the 
board,  and  the  child,  bandages  are  wrapped,  beginning  at  the  feet, 
and  winding  around  till  they  reach  the  breast  and  shoulders,  bind- 
ing the  arms  and  hands  to  the  child's  sides.  There  is  great  security 
in  this  contrivance.  The  Indian  woman,  a  slave  to  the  duties  of 
the  lodge,  with  all  the  fondness  of  a  mother,  cannot  devote  that 
constant  attention  to  her  child  which  her  heart  constantly  prompts 
her  to  bestow.  She  must  often  leave  it  to  chop  wood,  build  fires, 
cook,  erect  the  wigwam,  or  take  it  down,  make  a  canoe,  or  bring 
home  the  game  which  her  lord  has  killed,  but  which  he  disdains  to 
shoulder.  While  thus  employed,  her  infant  charge  is  safe  in  its 
rude  cradle.  If  she  place  it  against  a  tree,  or  a  corner  of  her  lodge, 
it  may  be  knocked  down  in  her  absence.  If  it  fall  backwards,  then 
all  is  safe.  If  it  fall  sideways,  the  arms  and  hands  being  confined, 
no  injury  is  sustained.  If  on  the  front,  the  projecting  hoop  guards 
the  face  and  head.  The  Indian  mother  would  find  it  difficult  to 
contrive  any  thing  better  calculated  for  her  purpose.  To  this  early 
discipline  in  the  cradle,  the  Indian  owes  his  erect  form ;  and  to  the 


I9rt 


AN   OJIHWA    MOTHER   AM)    HER   CIIIEI). 


praclii'c.  when  old  riioiiffli  to  lie  rclciiscd  from  llic  l»;iii(liij;cs,  of 
l)niciii<jf  liiuisclf  a^'ainst  liis  mother's  waist,  witli  his  toes  inward, 
may  l)o  traced  the  orit^nn  of  his  straightforward  gait,  and  tlic  posi- 
tion of  his  foot  in  wiilkinjr;  wliich  hitter  is  confirmed  afterwards  hy 
treading  in  the  trails  scarcely  wider  than  his  foot,  cut  many  inches 
deep  by  the  travel  of  centuries. 

It  is  but  justice,  in  this  place,  to  bear  our  testimony  to  the 
maternal  all'ection  of  the  Indian  women,  in  which  they  fall  nothing 
beliind  tlieir  more  civili/i-d  and  polished  sisters.  Wo  have  often 
marked  thi^  anxiety  of  an  Indian  mother,  beiding  over  her  sick 
child  ;  her  prompt  obedience  to  its  calls,  her  untiring  watchfulness, 
her  tender,  and,  so  far  as  a  mother's  love  .could  make  it  so,  refined 
attentions  to  its  claims  upon  her  tenderness.  In  tiir  of  danger, 
we  have  witnessi'd  her  .mxiety  for  its  security,  and  her  fearless 
e.\'posure  of  her  own  person  for  its  protection.  We  have  looked 
upon  the  rough-clad  warrior  in  the  solitude  of  his  native  forests, 
attired  in  the  skins  of  beasts,  or  wrapped  round  with  his  blanket, 
and  realized  all  our  preconceived  impressions  of  his  ferocity,  and 
savage-like  appearance — but,  when  we  have  entered  the  lodge,  and 
beheld,  in  the  untutored  mother,  and  amid  the  rude  circumstances 
of  her  condition,  the  same  parental  love  and  tender  devotion  to  her 
children  we  had  known  in  other  lands,  and  in  earlier  years,  we 
have  almost  forgotten  that  we  stood  beside  the  threshold  of  the 
ruthless  savage,  whose  pursuits  and  feelings  we  had  supposed  to 
have  nothing  in  common  with  ours,  and  have  felt  that,  as  the  chil- 
dren of  one  Father,  we  were  brothers  of  the  same  blfjod — heirs  of 
the  same  infirmities — victims  of  the  snme  passions ;  and,  though  in 
different  degrees,  bound  down  in  obedience  to  the  same  common 
feelings  of  our  nature.  Persecuted  and  wronged  as  he  has  been, 
the  Indian  has  experienced  the  same  feelings ;  and,  on  more  than 
one  occasion,  in  the  rude  eloquence  of  his  native  tongue.,  has  given 
them  vent,  in  words  not  far  different  from  those  of  Cowper,  wuh 
which  we  will  conclude  this  sketch :— 


.  J^^. 


moo  RA  I'll  Y. 


197 


"I  wns  born  of  woman,  and  drew  milk 
As  sweet  ns  charity  from  liuraan  breasts. 
T  tliink,  articulate,  I  laugh,  and  weep, 
And  exercise  all  functions  of  a  man. 

Pierce  my  vein  ; 

Take  of  the  crimson  stream  meand'ring  there, 
Search  it,  and  prove  now  if  it  be  not  blood. 
Congenial  with  thine  own  ;  and,  if  it  be. 
What  edge  of  subtlety  canst  thou  sujipose 
Keen  enough,  wise  and  skilful  as  thou  art, 
To  cut  the  link  of  brotherhood  by  which 
One  common  Maker  bound  me  to  the  kind?" 


SHAUHAUNAPOTINIA. 


The  import  of  this  name  is,  the  Man  who  killed  three  Sioux. 
Why  he  is  so  called  will  appear  in  the  sequel.  He  is  also  called 
Moanahonga,  which  means  Great  Walker.  Shauhaunapotinia  is 
an  loway;  and  was,  when  his  likeness  was  taken,  in  1837,  twenty- 
one  years  old. 

It  is  customary  among  the  loways  for  boys,  when  they  arrive  at 
the  age  of  eight  or  ten  years,  to  select  companions  of  about  the 
same  age.  A  companionship,  thus  formed,  ripens  into  a  union 
which  nothing  but  death  is  ever  permitted  to  dissolve.  The  parties 
become  inseparable;  are  seen  together  in  their  sports,  and,  in  riper 
years,  in  the  chase ;  and,  when  in  battle,  they  are  side  by  side. 
Their  most  confidential  secrets  are  told  without  reserve  to  each 
other,  and  are  afterwards  treated  as  if  confined  but  to  one  breast. 
Shauhaunapotinia  had  formed  a  fellowship  of  this  abiding  sort  with 
an  loway  boy,  which  lasted  till  his  companion  had  reached  his 
nineteenth,  and  himself  his  eighteenth  year,  when  the  Sioux  de- 
stroyed this  endearing  relationship  by  killing  Shauhaunapotinia's 
companion.  This  occurrence  took  place  about  one  hundre<^  miles 
from  the  nearest  Sioux  village.  The  moment  the  tidings  of  his 
friend's  death  reached  Shauhimnapotinia,  he  resolved  on  revenge. 
He  went  into  mourning  by  blacking  his  face,  and  secretly  left  his 
village,  and  sought  the  enemy.  Coming  upon  the  Sioux  in  ihcir 
encampment,  of  about  four  hundred  lodges,  he  rushed  in  among 
them  like  a  maniac,  and,  vidth  his  knife,  stabbed  a  brave,  whom  he 
instantly  scalped;   then,   rushing   from  the  encampment  in  tiie 

(198) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


199 


direction  of  his  village,  he  fell  in  with,  and  killed  and  scalped  two 
squaws,  bringing  to  his  home  three  scalps ;  and  all  this  was  the 
work  of  twenty-four  hours,  the  distance  travelled  in  that  time 
being  one  hundred  miles!  Hence  his  name— the  Sioux  Killer, 
because  of  his  success  in  killing  and  scalping  three  Sioux — and  the 
Great  Walker,  because  of  his  having  travelled  over  such  an  extent 
of  country  in  so  short  a  time. 

On  reaching  his  village,  he  made  knowTi  where  he  had  been, 
and  what  was  his  object,  and  showed  the  scalps  in  testimony  of  his 
triumph.  On  hearing  his  statement,  and  seeing  his  trophies,  the 
chiefs  and  braves  of  his  nation  immediately  bound  round  his  legs, 
just  below  his  knees,  skins  of  the  polecat,  these  being  the  insignia 
of  bravery.  Young  Mahaskah  immediately  adopted  him  as  his 
friend,  companion,  and  counsellor ;  hence  his  presence  with  him 
at  Washington  city.  To  his  bnn-cry,  Shauliaunapotinia  added 
the  qualities  of  a  wit,  and  is  represented  as  having  no  equal  in 
the  nation.  His  waggeries  are  so  numerous,  and  so  diversified, 
as  to  leave  him  master  of  all  the  circles  of  fun  and  frolic  iu  which 
he  mingles. 

Shauhaunapotinia,  when  he  joined  Mahaskah,  was  destined,  ftir 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  to  see  and  be  among  white  people.  On 
arriving  at  Liberty,  Clay  county,  Missouri,  he  gave  signs  of  great 
uneasiness.  On  one  occasion,  he  came  running  to  the  agent  in 
great  trepidation,  without  his  blanket,  saying,  "  Father,  these  white 
people  are  fools."  "  Why  do  you  call  them  fools  ?"  asked  the 
agent.  "Why,"  replied  the  Sioux  Killer,  "they  make  their  fires 
in  the  wrong  part  of  their  wgwams  ;  why  don't  they  make  them, 
as  we  do,  in  the  middle  ?  I  am  almost  frozen.  And  tl  ,  he  cou- 
tmued,  "is  not  all;  the  white  people  look  at  me;  may  be  they 
want  to  kill  me.  I  want  to  go  home."  The  agent  explained  to  him 
that  the  fire  was  built  where  all  white  people  build  it,  at  one  end 
of  their  wigwam ;  and,  assuring  him  that  the  whites  were  only 
curious,  and  hatl  no  unkind  intentions  towards  him,  he  became 


200 


SHAUHAUNAPOTINIA. 


.econciled,  and  agreed  to  proceed.  He  gave  signs,  however,  of 
affliction,  by  blacking  his  face,  and  sitting  quietly  by  himself  in 
some  lone  place  for  two  days. 

We  have,  in  this  anecdote,  an  illustration  of  the  truth,  that,  before 
the  mind  can  bring  itself  to  stand  unappalled  before  danger,  it 
must  become  accustomed  to  it;  and,  not  only  to  danger  in  the 
abstract,  but  to  its  variety,  and  under  all  its  forms.  Now,  here 
was  an  Indian,  who,  to  revenge  the  death  of  his  friend,  could  travel, 
alone  and  undismayed,  a  hundred  miles  into  the  enemy's  country, 
rush  into  an  encampment  of  four  hundred  lodges,  strike  down  a 
brave  and  scalp  him,  and  return,  killing  two  other  Indians  by  the 
way ;  and  yet,  when  placed  in  a  new  country,  amidst  other  than 
his  forest  scenes,  and  among  a  people  of  another  color,  of  whom  he 
knew  nothing,  he  was  made  to  tremble  and  be  afraid  at  a  look ! 
The  same  knowledge  of  the  wliite  man,  the  same  acquaintance 
with  his  habits,  and  mode  of  warfare,  and  especially  the  opportunity 
of  measuring  arms  with  him  in  a  fight  or  two,  would  have  elevated 
this  Indian's  courage  to  an  equal  height  to  which  it  proved  itself 
capable  of  rising  when  he  made  that  desperate  attack  upon  the 
Sioux  in  their  own  encampment.  Some  writer,  we  remember,  in 
^peaking  of  the  fearless  character  of  the  British  seamen,  says, 
"  Brave,  because  bred  amidst  dangers — great,  because  accustomed 
Ut  the  dimensions  of  the  world."  It  is  highly  probable  that,  were 
a  seaman  taken  from  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  and  conveyed  away 
fiom  the  ship,  with  whose  strength  and  power  he  had  become 
familiar,  and  placed  in  a  wilderness,  among  savages,  he  would 
shrink  from  their  scrutiny,  and  realize  a  depression  in  the  scale  of 
his  courage,  as  did  the  Sioux  Killer  when  removed  from  the  theatre 
of  his  victories,  and  conveyed  among  a  people  who  were  new  to 
him,  and  of  whom  he  knew  nothing. 


WAAPASIIAW. 


This  distinguished  man  is  head  cliicf  of  the  Keoxa  tribe,  of  the 
Dacolah  nation.  His  fatlier  was  a  groiit  warrior  ;  the  present  chief 
is  a  wise  and  prudent  man,  who  holds  his  station  by  hereditary 
tenure,  while  he  sustains  himself  in  the  estimation  of  his  people  by 
liis  talents.  lie  devotes  a  portion  of  his  time  to  agriculture.  The 
name  by  which  this  tribe  is  distinguished  signifies,  "  relationship 
overlooked ;"  because,  in  their  marriages,  they  unite  between 
nearer  relations  than  the  other  Sioux.  First  cousins,  uncles,  and 
nieces,  and  even  brothers  and  sisters,  intermarry. 

We  extract,  from  the  account  of  Long's  Second  Expedition,  an 
anecdote  in  reference  to  a  curious  and  much  vexed  question,  in 
which  the  name  of  this  chief  is  honorably  mentioned.  It  is  a  matter 
of  some  doubt,  to  what  extent  the  practice  of  cannibalism  has  pre- 
vailed among  the  North  American  Indians.  li  is  certain  that  some 
of  tlie  tribes  have  been  guilty  of  this  outrage  upon  decency  ;  it  is 
l)robable  that  most  of  them  have  participated  in  it;  but  we  are 
inclined  to  believe  that  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  eating  of  human 
ilesh  by  our  Indians,  from  choice,  as  an  article  of  food ;  but  that 
they  have  devoured  the  flesh  of  victims,  sacrificed  in  their  -war- 
feasts,  in  obedience  to  some  principle  of  revenge,  or  of  superstition. 
The  Dacotahs  repel  the  imputation  of  cannibalism  with  great 
horror;  they  assert  that  they  have  never  been  guilty  of  it,  but 
charge  their  neighbors  with  the  crime.  The  following  incident  is  m 
the  work  to  which  we  have  referred,  stated,  on  the  authority  of  Ren- 
ville, an  in1er[)reter,  to  have  taken  place  at  Fort  Meigs,  in  1913. 

■M  (201) 


£02 


bio(;raphy. 


"  The  fort  wns  besieged  by  General  Proctor,  at  tlie  head  of  tlie 
British  nrni}',  attended  by  a  corps  of  about  three  tlionsand  Indians, 
consistinir  of  Dacotalis,  Pottawatimies,  IMiainis,  Ottowas,  Wolves, 
Ilnrons,  M'innel)agoos,  ShaAvanoes,  Savdis,  Foxes,  Menorninies,  &;c. 
Tliey  liad  all  shared  in  the  battle,  except  the  Dacotahs,  who  liad 
not  yet  engaged  against  the  Americans,  and  who  were  then  on 
tluMr  way  to  Qnebcc.  While  Renville  wns  seated,  one  afternoon, 
with  Waapashaw  and  Chetauwakoainane,  a  deputation  came  to 
invite  them  to  meet  the  other  Indians,  the  o])ject  of  the  meeting  not 
being  stated  ;  the  two  chiefs  comj)lied  with  the  request.  Shortly 
after,  Frazicr,  an  interpreter,  came,  and  informed  Renville  that  die 
Indians  were  engaged  in  eating  an  American,  and  invited  him  to 
Avalk  over  to  the  place.  lie  wx'nt  thither,  and  found  the  human 
flesh  cut  up,  and  portioned  out  into  dishes,  one  for  each  nation  of 
Indians.  In  every  dish,  in  addition  to  the  llesh,  there  was  corn. 
At  that  moment,  they  called  upon  the  bravest  man  in  each  nation 
to  come  and  take  a  portion  of  the  heart  and  head ;  one  warrior  from 
each  nation  was  allowed  a  fragment  of  this  choice  mor.sel.  lu  tlie 
group  of  Indians  present,  there  was  a  brave  Dacotah,  the  ne[)hew 
of  Clietauwakoamane,  known  by  the  name  of  the  '  Grand  Chasseur.' 
They  invited  hi  in  to  ste[i  forward,  and  take  his  share;  and,  among 
others,  a  Winnebago  addrtjssed  him,  and  told  him  that  they  had 
collected  their  frioids  to  jKirtake  of  a  meal  prt'|)ared  with  the  (lesh 
of  one  of  tliut  nalioii  tliat  had  done  them  so  much  injury.  Belbie 
the  Sioux  warrior  had  time  to  reply,  his  uncle  arose,  and  bade  iiis 
ne|)hew  to  depart  thence;  he  then  addressed  himself  to  tlu^  Iiahans. 
'  Mv  friends,'  said  he,  '  we  came  here,  not  to  eat  the  American.'^, 
but  to  wage  war  atfainst  them;  tliat  will  sulhce  lor  us;  and  could 
w(>  I'Vi'U  do  that,  if  lel't  to  our  own  forces  '  Wv  are  [)oor  an  1  desti 
tnte,  wliile  lliey  possess  the  means  of  su|)plying  themseh  s  with 
all  \hvY  ref|uire ;  we  ougl  t  not,  tlunelbre,  to  do  such  things.' 
Waaptishaw  added,  '  ^\'e  thouglit  that  \-oii,  who  live  near  to  white 
men,   were  wi.ser  than  we  who  live  at  a  distance ;  but  it  must, 


WAAPASHAW. 


203 


iiuloi'f',  1)c  otherwise,  if  you  do  such  deeds.'  Tliey  llien  rose  niid 
depiirlcd." 

It  appears  that,  on  this  occasion,  human  flesh  was  not  resorted  to 
for  want  of  provisions,  as  the  camp  was  plentifully  supi)lied ;  nor 
did  fondness  for  this  species  of  food  lead  to  the  dreadful  re])ast, 
which  seems  to  have  been  regarded  with  a  natural  aversion.  The 
l^acotahs  speak  of  that  case  in  terms  of  the  most  decided  reproba- 
liou.  But  one  instance  of  cannibalism  is  known  to  have  occurred 
among  them;  when,  during  a  famine,  three  women,  urged  by  a 
necessity  which  few  could  have  controlled,  partook  of  the  fle.sh  of 
a  man  who  had  died  of  hunger ;  but,  two  of  them  d}ing  shortly 
after,  the  Indians  attributed  their  decease  to  this  fatal  meal.  The 
third  lived  in  degradation,  induced  l)y  this  single  act ;  the  nation 
regard  her  with  horror,  and  suppose  that  a  state  of  corpulence  into 
which  she  has  grown,  has  been  induced  by  that  food,  which,  they 
predict,  will  eventvially  prove  fatal  to  her. 

During  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain, 
which  commenced  in  1812,  the  British  took  possession  of  the  out- 
•lost  which  had  been  established  at  Prairie  du  Cliicn,  for  the  con- 
venience of  our  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  but  afterwards  aban- 
doned it.  The  little  village,  consisting  of  a  few  houses,  occupied 
by  French  Canadians,  was  left  defenceless,  and  the  Winnebago 
Indians,  a  fierce  and  restless  tribe,  who  occupied  the  surrounding 
country,  seemed  disposed  to  create  a  quarrel,  which  might  afford 
them  an  opportunity  for  plunder.  Although  the  whites  had  long 
been  established  there,  and  had  lived  in  amity  with  them,  they 
came  to  the  village,  took  some  articles  of  private  property  by  force, 
and  threatened  to  massacre  the  inhabitants,  and  plunder  the  town. 
The  aLu...rid  villagers,  intimately  acquainted  with  the  reckless  and 
desperate  character  of  their  neighbors,  and  aware  of  their  own  dan- 
ger, immediately  despatched  a  messenger  to  Waapashaw,  at  his 
residence  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  not  far  above 
Prairie  du  Chien.     His  interposition  was  claimed  on  account  of  his 


204 


BIOGRAPHY. 


great  influence,  as  well  in  his  own  tribe  as  among  liis  nci)fli1)ors; 
he  was  at  peace  with  the  surrounding  Indians,  and  witii  the  whites; 
and  there  was,  between  his  own  band  and  the  Winnebagocs,  a  long 
standing  friendship.  These  tribes  had  intermarried,  and  there 
were  then  at  Prairie  du  Chien  many  individuals,  the  offspring  of 
these  marriages,  who  stood  in  an  equal  degree  of  relationship 
to  both,  and  some  of  whom  were  nearly  allied  to  Waapashaw. 
Obeying  the  request,  he  went  down  to  the  village  immediately, 
attended  by  but  one  person.  The  inhabitants,  seeing  him  thus, 
Avithout  the  imposing  train  of  warriors  by  which  they  had  expected 
to  see  him  followed,  gave  themselves  up  a.s  lost;  justly  appre- 
hending that  the  Winnebagocs,  ascertaining  that  no  force  would 
be  opposed  to  them,  would  now  put  their  sanguinary  threats  into 
execution.  To  an  intimation  of  their  fears,  and  an  earnest  appeal 
which  they  had  made  to  him,  the  chief,  with  the  characteristic  taci- 
turnity of  his  race,  gave  no  reply ;  but  sent  his  attendant  to  the 
Winnebagocs,  with  a  message,  requiring  them  to  meet  him  in 
council,  during  that  day,  at  an  hour  and  place  which  he  appoinled. 
In  llie  mean  while,  he  remained  silent  and  reserved,  apparently 
wrapped  in  deep  thought. 

The  Indian  chief  is  careful  of  his  reputation,  and  never  appears 
in  public  Avithout  the  preparation  which  is  ncnx'ssary  to  the  dignity 
of  his  per.sonal  appearance,  and  the  success  of  any  intellectual  efl'ort 
he  may  be  called  upon  to  nialce.  His  face  is  skilfully  painted,  and 
his  person  studiously  decorated  ;  his  passions  are  subdued,  his  plans 
matured,  and  his  thoughts  carefully  arranged,  so  that,  when  he 
speaks,  he  neither  hazards  his  own  fame  nor  jeopards  the  interest  of 
the  tribe.  At  the  appointed  hour,  the  Winnebago  chiefs  assembled, 
and  Waapashaw  seated  himself  among  them ;  the  warriors  formed  a 
circle  aro'und  their  leaders,  and  the  individuals  of  less  consequence 
occupied  the  still  more  distant  places.  A  few  minutes  were  pnssi'd 
in  silence;  then  Waapashaw  arose,  and,  placing  himself  in  an  atti- 
tude of  studied,  though  apparently  careless,  dignity,  looked  round 


WAAPASIIAW.  205 

ii[)()n  the  chiefs  witli  a  menacing  look.  His  countenance  was  fierce 
and  terrible ;  and  cold  and  stern  were  the  faces  upon  which  his 
piercing  eye  was  bent.  He  plucked  a  single  hair  from  his  head — 
held  it  up  before  them — and  then  spoke  in  a  grave  and  resolute 
tone:  " Winncbagoes !  do  you  see  tills  hair?  Look  at  it.  You 
threaten  to  massacre  the  Avhitc  peoi)le  at  the  Prairie.  They  are 
your  friends,  and  mine.  You  wish  to  drink  their  blood.  Is  that 
your  purpn^3?  Dare  to  lay  a  finger  upon  one  of  them,  and  I  will 
blow  you  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  I  now" — suiting  the  action 
to  the  word — "  blow  this  hair  with  my  breath,  where  none  can  find 
it."  Not  a  head  was  turned  at  the  close  of  this  startling  and  unex- 
pected annunciation;  not  a  muscle  was  seen  to  move — the  keen, 
black,  and  snake-like  eyes  of  that  circle  of  dusky  warriors  remained 
fixed  upon  the  speaker,  who,  after  casting  around  a  look  of  cool 
defiance,  turned  upon  his  heel  and  left  the  council,  without  waiting 
for  a  reply.  The  insolent  savages,  who  had  been  vaporing  about 
the  village  in  the  most  arrogant  and  insulting  manner,  hastily  brolce 
up  the  council,  and  retired  quietly  to  their  camp.  Not  a  single 
Winnebago  was  to  be  seen  next  morning  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
village.  They  knew  that  the  Sioux  chief  had  the  pow(>r  to  exter- 
minate them,  and  that  his  threats  of  vengeance  were  no  idle  words, 
uttered  1)}'  a  forked  tongue ;  and,  taking  counsel  from  Avisdom,  they 
prudi'iitly  avoided  the  conduct  which  would  have  provoked  his 
resentment. 

The  Keoxa  tribe  have  two  villages  on  the  Mississippi,  one  near 
Lake  Pepin,  and  the  other  at  the  Iowa  River ;  and  they  hunt  on 
both  banks  of  the  Great  River. 


POCAHONTAS. 


The  annals  of  profane  history,  civilized  and  savage,  may  l)e 
challenged  to  produce  a  parallel  to  the  story  of  Pocahontas.  It  lias 
all  the  stirring  elements  of  romance  genially  blended  with  the  grave 
simplicity  of  truth  and  nature.  Like  an  unexpected  oasis  iu  the 
midst  of  the  interminahle  desert — like  a  solitary  star  of  the  first 
magnitude,  beaming  suddenly  out  from  a  cloudy  sky — the  person 
and  history  of  the  daughter  of  Powhatan  stand  out  in  bold  and  sur- 
prising beauty  on  the  severe  page  of  aboriginal  life.  Ilcr  story,  as 
an  eloquenl  writer  has  said,  is  "that exquisite  episode  in  the  history 
of  the  New  World,  which,  appealing  equally  to  the  affections  and 
the  imagination,  has  never  lost  the  charm  of  its  original  loveliness 
and  freshness,  even  though  a  thousand  iterations  have  made  it  the 
most  familiar  of  all  our  forest  stories.  It  is  one  of  those  talcs,  which, 
combininsj  several  elements  of  the  tender  and  the  tragic — like  that 
of  the  Grecian  daughter — like  that  of  the  Roman  "\'irginius — more 
certainly  true  than  either  of  these  legends,  and  not  less  touching 
and  beautiful, — the  mind  treasures  up,  naturall}'  and  v.ithout  an 
effort,  as  a  chronicle  equally  dear  to  its  virgin  fancies  and  its 
sweetest  sensibilities." 

History  has  not  furnished  a  full-length  delineation  of  the  life  of 
Pocahontas.  She  appears,  in  the  scanty  chronicles  of  "N'irginia's 
first  settlement,  not  in  a  continuous  drama,  of  which  every  act  and 
scene  is  made  to  develop  some  new  grace  of  penson,  or  trait  of  cha- 
racter, till,  at  the  fall  of  the  curtain,  the  whole  stands  out  in  com- 
plete and  life-like  symmetry ;  but  in  a  series  of  bold  and  striking 

(20U) 


BIOGRAPHY. 


207 


tithkaux  vioants,  in  each  one  of  which  she  is  revealed  in  full-length 
life  and  completeness. 

We  are  first  introduced  to  her,  in  the  heroic  act  of  saving  the 
life  of  Captain  Jolui  Smith.  She  was  then  a  child  about  twelve 
years  old.  Smith,  having  been  taken  captive  by  some  of  the  sul)- 
jects  of  Powhatan,  carried  from  place  to  ])lace,  and  feasted  and 
fatted  for  sacrifice,  is  bnmght  into  the  presence  of  the  forest  mo- 
narch, to  be  tried  as  an  enemy.  The  hall  of  judgment  is  an  open 
area  in  the  forest.  Its  columns  are  the  tall  majestic  oaks  and  pines, 
which  centuries  of  thrifty  growth  have  been  rearing  and  shaping 
to  be  fitting  supporters  of  its  "o'erarching  dome  of  blue."  Reclin- 
ing upon  his  couch,  in  the  midst,  and  surrounded  by  his  Avarriors 
and  his  household,  the  aged  monarch  maintains  a  most  dignified 
and  royal  bearing.  Threescore  suns  have  passed  over  his  head. 
But  his  figure  is  nobly  erect  and  athletic,  and  his  eye  keen,  search- 
ing, and  severe.  His  prisoner  is  before  him.  Ilis  story  is  familiar 
to  all  the  counsellors  of  the  king.  lie  is  known  as  the  mastcr- 
s|)irit  of  that  band  of  intruders,  which  has  recently  landed  on  their 
shores,  and  taken  forcible  possession  of  a  portion  of  their  territory. 

The  consultation  is  brief  and  decisive.  The  prisoner  is  doomed 
to  death,  and  the  execution  is  ordered  to  take  place  on  the  spot. 
Two  great  stones  are  brought  in,  and  placed  in  the  midst.  Ujion 
lliese  he  is  laid  and  bound  as  upon  an  altar.  The  monarch  alone 
is  deemed  worthy  to  strike  down  so  distinguished  a  foe.  Ilis  war- 
riors and  counsellors  await  his  action.  The  victim  composes  him- 
self to  die  like  a  Christian  hero.  Why  does  the  royal  executioner 
(leliiy  ?  lie  attempts  to  rise  from  his  couch,  but  is  held  back  by  a 
liuy  arm  embracing  him,  and  a  gentle  voice  whispering  in  earnest 
entreaty  in  his  ear.  It  is  Pocahontas,  his  eldest  daughter,  liut 
she  pleads  in  vain.  Shaking  her  gently  off,  h.c  takes  his  huge  war- 
rliil),  and,  advancing  to  the  block,  raises  his  arm  for  the  fatal  blow. 
\\  illi  a  shriek  of  agony,  and  an  impulse  of  energy  and  devotion 
known  only  to  woman's  heart,  Pocahontas  rushes  forward,  throws 


208 


POCAHONTAS. 


herscll'  IxHwocn  tlic  victim  and  llic  iipliflcd  arm  of  llic  inipassionod 
avenger,  beseeeliiiig  liim  to  spare,  for  her  sake,  that  doomed  life. 

In  uhat  page  of  lier  vohnninous  annals  does  history  record  a 
spectacle  of  such  exquisite  beauty?  \Miat  grace,  what  femi- 
nine tenderness  and  devotion,  what  heroic  pur])0S6  of  soul — wlihi, 
self-sacrificing  resolution  and  firmness  !  And  that  in  a  child  of 
twelve  years  old — and  that  child  an  untaught  bavagc  of  the  wil- 
derness, v'ho  had  never  heard  the  name  of  Jesus,  or  of  that  gos- 
pel which  teaches  to  love  our  enemies,  and  do  good  to  them  that 
hate  us ! 

Forgiveness  was  never  an  clement  in  the  red  man's  creed.  Every 
nrtii'le  breathed  the  spirit  of  revenge.  The  attitude  "of  the  royal 
princess  is  an  inexplicable  anomaly.  It  has  no  precedent  in 
Indian  law  or  legend.  It  comes  upon  the  assembly  like  a  revela- 
tion— a  voice  from  the  Great  Spirit,  which  they  dare  not  resist. 
Awe  subdues  rage.  Admiration  takes  the  place  of  savage  ferocity. 
The  deadly  weapon  drops  from  the  hand  of  the  monarch,  his  arm 
falls  powerless  to  his  side,  and  he  turns  to  his  couch, 

"  Like  a  sick  eagle  fainting  in  his  nest." 

The  victim  is  unbound,  and  given  to  his  deliverer.  His  sentence 
of  death  is  commuted,  by  royal  prerogative,  to  that  of  perpetual 
bondage  ;  and  that  agiiin,  a  short  time  after,  is  fully  remitted.  The 
doomed  enemy  is  pardoned  and  loaded  with  favor.  The  captive  is 
set  free. 

After  an  absence  of  nearly  seven  weeks,  the  brave  Smith  was 
permitted  to  return  to  Jamestown,  witli  many  promises  of  favor  from 
the  hitherto  hostile  chieftain  of  Werowocomo.  For  a  time,  these 
promises  were  faithfully  observed — an  amicable  intercourse  between 
the  parties  being  attended,  as  usual,  with  a  profitable  interchange 
of  coiiiinodities.  In  this  tvaflic,  the  women  of  the  natives  took  part 
as  well  as  the  men,  and  the  preserver  of  Captain  Smith  Avas  often 
seen   at  Jamestown,   in    company   with    her    female  attendants. 


r' 


inoCRAPIIY. 


200 


VVliotlior  nny  spcfial  notice  was  liilccii  of  licr,  or  iiiiy  favor  shown 
In  her,  in  consefincnco  of  licr  licroic  act,  docs  not,  appear.  'V\w 
first  (lays  of  an  infant  colony,  on  a  wild  shore,  arc  not  likciv  to  he 
niiicli  more  distinguislied  l)y  tlie  reiincnients  of  cticpictte  tliaii  hy 
tlic  comforts  and  Inxiu'ios  of  civilized  life.  But  ^ratilnde  for  sutdi 
adcliverance  would  rc(piiro  neitlicr  courtly  phrase  nor  ])uljlic  pa- 
tj:cant.  It  is  often  expressed,  in  the  course  of  his  various  letters  and 
jouru'ds,  in  terms  that  snllicieiitly  testify,  at  tlie  same  time  a  i^rate- 
I'ul  aflTection,  and  a  deep  paternal  rc<rard.  Of  the  depth  and  power 
of  tliis  sentiment  I'owliatan  was  fully  aware,  and  he  made  free  nso 
of  it,  with  the  art  of  an  experienced  diplomatist,  in  much  of  his  suh- 
se((nent  intercourse  whh  the  Pinglish.  Though  hut  a  child,  Poca- 
hontas was  the  principal  ambassadress  between  hei  wily  father  and 
his  more  practised  and  sagacious  neighbors. 

During  seasons  of  scarcity,  when  the  struggling  colony  was  in 
fearful  danger  of  being  cut  off  by  famine,  her  angel  visits  were 
neither  few  nor  far  between.  Unscnt,  if  not  forbidden,  of  her  own 
heaven-born  impulse,  she  traversed  the  woods,  dtiy  after  day,  with 
her  train  of  attendants  and  companions,  bearing  to  the  hungry 
strangers  supplies  of  corn  and  meat,  regarding  neither  the  hardships 
and  dangers  of  the  way,  nor  the  frowns  and  threats  of  her  own  un- 
forgiving, implacable  race,  in  the  sweet  satisfaction  of  relieving 
human  distress,  and  saving  the  life  of  a  sudering  fellow-creature. 
It  is  the  testimony  of  Captain  Smith,  in  his  Annals,  as  well  as  in  his 
letter  to  the  Queen,  that,  during  a  period  of  two  or  three  years,  the 
cliild,  Pocahontas,  "next  under  God,  was  the  instrument  of  preserv- 
ing the  colony  from  death,  famine,  and  utter  confusion." 

With  a  strong  presentiment,  a  sort  of  prophetic  foresight,  that  the 
success  and  growth  of  the  English  colony  could  only  be  secured  by 
the  destruction  of  himself  and  his  people,  Powhatan,  notwithstand- 
iu!jf  his  promises  of  friendship,  had  never  ceased  to  meditate  its 
overthrow.  Believing  that  its  chief  strength  was  in  the  prowess 
and  skill  ot  Ca])tain  Smith,  who  had  hitherto  baflled  all  his  plans 


210 


POCAHONTAS. 


for  llic  niiislcrv,  he  resolved,  by  some  means,  fair  or  foul,  onco  more 
to  jrct  possession  of  his  person,  To  this  one  object  all  his  thouf^hts 
ami  eiier<j[ies  were  directed. 

Smith,  on  the  oilier  hand,  knowing  the  reverence  of  the  IndiaiiH 
for  their  ]\\i\\i,  and  feeliiii^  the  necessity  of  establishing  with  them 
such  new  relations  as  would  secure  to  the  colony  a  steady  supply 
of  food,  was  equally  resolved  on  seizing  the  p(>rson  of  I'owhatuii, 
and  holding  hiiu  as  a  hostage — a  means  of  exacting  the  supi)lies 
which,  with  all  his  ])ersnasions,  he  could  not  induce  them  to  sell. 

'The  fire-arms  of  the  English  captain  gave  him  such  an  immea- 
surable advantage  over  the  dusky  monarch  of  the  forest,  that  the 
latter  could  never  be  induced,  though  often  persuaded,  to  visit  the 
fort,  or,  in  any  way,  expose  his  [)erson  to  the  power  of  th(!  enemy. 
Conscious  of  his  superiority  in  this  respect,  and  naturally  fearless 
of  personal  danger.  Smith  sought  an  interview  with  Powhatan,  in 
his  own  forest  home.  The  wily  king  was  preiiared  for  his  coming, 
and  resolved  that  he  should  never  go  back  alive.  Gathering  many 
hundreds  of  his  warriors  about  him,  and  concealing  them  in  the 
neighltoring  forest,  he  endeavored,  by  fair  sjjeeches  and  llattering 
promises,  to  disarm  the  vigilance  of  his  visitor,  and  thus  to  over- 
whelm him  with  a  sudden  blow.  Coming  up,  one  by  one,  with 
.stealthy  tread,  they  surrounded  tlu;  place  of  conference,  where 
Smith,  with  only  one  attendant,  had  been  exchanging  courteous 
speeches  with  the  king.  Powhatan  withdrew,  for  a  moment,  and 
Smith,  looking  ;djout  him,  perceived  his  danger,  and  the  snare  that 
had  been  drawn  imperceptibly  around  him.  Nothing  daunted  by 
the  fearful  odd.s  that  stood  against  him,  he  faced  that  tawny 
multitude,  an<l  laying  alioiit  him,  right  and  left,  with  his  trusty 
sword,  l)rolve  through  their  ranks  unharmed,  and  made  his  escape 
to  the  shore,  Avhere  his  boats  were  in  waiting. 

Declaring  that  the  assend)lage  which  Smith  had  looked  upon  as  ho.s- 
tile  was  occasioned  only  by  the  curiosity  of  his  people  to  see  and  hear 
so  great  a  chief,  Powhatan  made  a  new  effort  to  detain  him,  sending 


BIOGllAPIIV. 


211 


liiin  a  liir;,rc  (inaulily  ()f  provisions,  and  [(i-cpariiiir  ii  gruat  Iba-st,  willi 
flic  iiitcnlioii  of  at1a(^l<iii<r  liis  whole  coniiiaiiy  while  thoy  wore  (iatiiiir 
I'nini  this  plot  lio  wjis  delivered  hy  the  inli-rposilion  of  Pocahontas, 
warning  liim  of  his  danger.  Smith's  own  acM-oun!,  of  this  intfrvicu 
is  simple  and  rlofpicnt :  "The  eternal,  all-seeing  God  did  prevent 
liiiM,  and  hy  a  stninge  meiines.  For  Poeahontas,  his  dearest  Jewell 
anil  danghter,  in  thatdarke  night  came  through  the  irksome  wootis, 
■■\\u\  tolde  our  captaine  great  cheare  should  he  sent  us  hy  and  hye; 
l)Mt  that  Powhatan,  and  nil  the  power  he  could  make,  would  aftci 
I'oinc  and  kill  us  all,  if  they  that  hronght  it  could  not  kill  us  with 
our  owne  weapons  when  wt^  were  at  supper.  Therefore,  if  we  would 
live,  .she  wished  us  presently  to  he  gone." 

Giatelul  to  God,  and  to  his  youthful  deliverer,  for  this  second 
interposition  to  save  his  life,  at  the  hazard  of  her  own,  the  fuU- 
liearted  captain  would  have  loaded  her  with  presents,  of  "such 
I 'lings  as  she  delighted  in.  But,  with  the  tearc,<  running  downe 
her  cheekes,  she  said  she  durst  not  he  scene  to  luive  any;  for,  if 
Powhatan  should  know  it,  she  were  but  dead;  and  so  she  raiuie 
iiway  by  her.self  as  she  came." 

"  Nothing  of  its  kind,"  says  the  eloquent  Mr.  Simms,  "  can  wi  11 
!)('  more  touching  than  this  new  instance  of  deep  sympathy  and 
altaehment,  on  the  part  of  the  strangely  interesting  forest  child,  tor 
I  lie  white  strangers  and  their  captain.  To  him,  indeed,  she  ,sei  ins 
1(1  have  been  devoted  with  a  filial  passion  mucli  greater  than  that 
which  she  felt  for  her  natural  sire.  The  anecdote  adbrds  a  melan- 
choly proof  of  the  little  hold  which  power,  even  when  rendered 
s(>eminglv  secure  by  natural  ties,  possesses  upon  the  hearts  of  human 
1  icings.  Here  we  find  the  old  monarch,  who  had  just  declared  him- 
self the  survivor  of  three  generations  of  subjects,  betrayed  by  liis 
own  child,  and  by  one  of  his  chiefs,  while  in  the  pursuit  of  his  most 
cherished  objects.  We  have  no  reproaches  for  Pocahontas,  and  her 
c-onduct  is  to  be  justified.  She  obeyed  the  laws  of  nature  and  liu- 
manit)-,  of  tenderness  and  love,  which  were  far  superior,  in  their 


212 


POCAIION'IAS. 


lorcf  and  ofFicjvcy,  in  a  licai't  like  hers,  to  any  whirl i  spring  simply 
Irurn  the  tics  of  blood.  But,  even  though  his  designs  be  ill,  we  can- 
not but  regard  the  savage  prince,  in  his  age  and  inlirmities,  thus 
l)etra3'cd  by  child  and  subj^nt,  somewhat  as  another  Lear.  He,  too, 
was  fond  of  his  Cordelia.  81ie  was  '  the  Jewell,'  '  the  nonpareil,' 
we  are  toLl,  of  Ids  afTcctions.  Well  might  he  exclaim,  with  the  an- 
cient Briton,  in  his  hour  of  destruction, 

'  Mow  sliarper  llinn  a  serpent's  tooth  it  is 
To  have  a  thankless  diild  !'  " 

But,  of  her  humane  treason,  for  its  motive  wa.s  beyond  reproach, 
Powhatan  knew  nothing.  Smith  kept  her  secret.  lie  profited  by 
her  intelligence,  and  escaped. 

Newport  had  returned  to  England,  and  Smith  was  Prc.ddcnt  of 
the  Colony.  \\'iule  absent  from  Jamestown,  on  a  foraging,  or  rather 
a  trading  expedition,  an  accident  occurred,  in  which  eleven  of  the 
colonists  were  drowned,  including  Captain  Waldo,  Vice  President 
in  tlie  absence  of  Smilli.  A  calanuly  so  serious  must  l)e  innne- 
diately  conununicated  to  the  President,  and  Richard  Wyllin  volun- 
teered to  go  alono  on  the  diflicult  and  dangerous  mission.  Going 
directly  to  the  dwelling  of  Powhatan,  he  found  them  making  the 
greatest  preparation  for  war.  Ilis  own  life  was  in  immini^it  danger, 
lie  was  not  to  be  perniitled  1o  return,  to  l)ear  tidings  of  wliat  ho 
]i;id  seen  and  heard.  His  doom  was  sealed,  and  he  would  have 
fallen  a  victim  to  his  generous  zeal  in  the  public  service,  if  Smith's 
good  angel  had  not  been  near  to  protect  him.  Silently,  and  unno- 
ticed, he  w!is  drawn  aside  b}''  Pocahontas,  concealed  in  a  place  of 
safety,  guarded  and  fed  with  tender  care.  The  aL.rm  was  given, 
the  most  diligent  search  was  made  for  their  victim  by  men  trained 
and  ])raclised  in  the  arts  of  concealment,  detection,  and  escape,  and 
urgcfl  to  tlieir  utmost  diligence  by  the  strenuous  command  of  the 
king.  But  all  in  vain.  Tliey  were  ballled  and  outwitted  by  the 
sagacity  and  coolness  of  a  mere  child.     She  put  them  upon  the 


BIOGRAPHY. 


213 


wrong  scent.  She  sent  liis  pursuers  ofT  in  one  direction,  wliile. 
under  cover  of  tlie  night,  she  directed  him,  in  tlie  other,  how  to  find 
liis  friends. 

8ick,  wejirj-,  and  ahiiost  disheartened,  Smith  has  returned  to 
Enghmd.  Dale  is  Governor  of  Virginia.  The  relation  hctwecn 
tlie  colony  and  Powhatan  is  that  of  open  hostilit}-.  Fire  and  sword 
have  ravaged  the  native  villages.  The  Indians,  hecoine  fierce, 
revengeful,  implacahle,  have  resolved  to  witlihold  entirely  their 
^vonted  supplies,  and  starve  out  the  remorseless  intruders.  Poca- 
hontas, having,  l)y  her  unchanging  sympathy  for  the  white  men, 
and  her  constant  interference  in  their  hehalf,  lost  the  confidence, 
and  estranged  tlie  affections  of  her  father,  has  left  her  home,  and  is 
living  in  comparative  retirement  with  her  cousin,  the  chief  of  Poto- 
mac. Just  emerging  from  30uth  to  womanhood,  slic  can  no  longer, 
as  when  a  child,  mingle  personally  in  the  stril'e  or  sports  of  me-i, 
or  expose  herself,  unprotected,  to  their  rude  and  admiring  ga/.e. 
1  h'r  mission  as  messenger  and  active  intercessor  is  at  an  end.  The 
lireach  hetwccn  the  conleiiding  parties  nupiircs  moi\'  than  tempo- 
rary and  fitful  acts  of  mediation  to  heal  it.  No  arm,  not  even  that 
of  "his  dearest  Jewell  and  daughter,"'  can  arrest  the  summar\'  ven- 
geance which  the  savage  Powhatan  has  resolved  to  visit  upon  the 
IhvkI  of  any  white  man  found  in  his  domains.  He  has  decreed  the 
utter  extermination  of  the  intruding  race — a  decree  which  Provi- 
d(>nce  defeats,  hy  the  interposition  of  Poctahontas,  in  a  new  ch!ira(;lir, 
and  without  her  own  consent. 

Her  retreat  at  Potomac  becoming  known  to  Governor  Dale,  Cap- 
lain  Argal  is  despatched,  with  a  vessel,  to  seize  her,  and  bring  her 
to  Jamestown.  Bribed  by  the  present  of  a  copper  kettle,  her  trusty 
guardians,  the  king  and  queen  of  Potomac,  betray  her  into  the  hands 
of  lier  captors.  Pretending  a  deep  curiosity  to  see  the  great  canoe, 
the  queen  prevails  on  Pocahontas  to  accompany  her  on  board  the 
Mnglisii  sliip.  When  there,  she  is  coolly  informed  that  she  is  a 
prisoner,  and  must  go  as  such  to  Jamestown. 


214 


POCAHONTAS. 


What  ;i  return  for  all  her  acts  of  kindness,  her  licroic  sulf-saeri- 
lices  in  Ijehalf  of  the  strangers — her  frequent  exjiosures  of  her  hfe 
in  their  behalf,  and  her  voluntary  forfeiture  of  all  that  was  dear  in 
the  confidence  and  affection  of  a  doting  father,  or  the  cherished  as- 
sociations of  home !  If  Pocahontas  could  not,  with  confidence,  and 
a  sense  of  personal  security,  go  on  board  an  English  ship,  or  tni- 
versc  the  streets  of  the  English  colony,  as  if  it  were  her  own  domain, 
what  reliance  could  be  placed  in  human  gratitude,  or  human  honor  ? 
Her  tears  r.nd  her  entreaties  are  equally  vain.  The  ship  is  imme- 
diately got  uiidiT  way.  The  liing  and  queen  of  Potomac  are  set 
on  Ijoard  their  canoe,  and  paddle  off,  yelling  piteously,  with  mo .k 
lamentations,  over  the  loss  of  their  Ijeautiful  protege,  and  at  the  same 
time  grinning  at  each  other  with  real  delight,  as  they  gaze  at  the 
shining  utensil  for  which  they  iiad  sold  her. 

The  purpose  of  Governor  Dale,  in  taking  possession  of  the  young 
princess,  was,  by  her  means,  to  secure  a  more  favorable  relation  be- 
tween the  colony  and  the  natives.  lie  immediately  sent  to  Pow- 
hatan, by  an  Indian  messenger,  to  inform  him  tliat  Pocahontas  was 
his  ciiptivc,  and  that  her  treatment  there  would  dep'^nd  upon  the 
future  conduct  of  her  father.  If  he  continued  to  see,>.  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  colonists,  her  life  would  be  the  forfeit.  But,  if  he  would 
make  a  treaty  of  amity,  and  faithfully  keep  it,  at  the  end  of  a  yeir 
she  should  be  set  at  liberty. 

The  heart  of  the  monarch  fainted  when  he  received  these  tidings. 
He  liad  laid  out  and  matured,  together  with  the  chiefs  of  the  neigh- 
boring tribes,  most  of  whom  acknowledged  his  supremacy,  a  plan 
of  operations  \vhich  was  to  overwhelm,  and  annihilate  the  colony. 
Upon  the  accomplishment  of  this  plan,  all  his  thoughts  were  cen- 
tred. It  was  this  only  which  reconciled  him  to  the  tcmjiorary 
estrangement  and  absence  of  his  "  darling  daughter  and  dearest 
Jewell."  Vul  presence,  her  gentle  soothing  influence,  her  profound 
reverence  and  tender  regard  for  the  white  man,  and  her  never-fail- 
ing interposition,  by  council,  or  by  stratagem,  to  rescue  them  from 


BIOGRAPHY. 


215 


liis  power,  interforcd,  on  all  sides,  with  his  determined  plan,  and 
purfd3'zed  his  darling  purpose.  He  was,  therefore,  willing  to  part 
witli  her,  for  a  season,  and  rejoiced  that,  in  luu*  secluded  retreat,  she 
would  be  sheltered  from  the  storm  of  war  which  was  gathering  over 
lier  lionie,  and  ignorant  of  all  its  horrors,  till  they  were  consum- 
mated in  the  destruction  of  his  enemies.  To  that  issue  his  plans 
were  fast  rii)ening.  He  biu'ned  with  intense  eagerness  for  their 
e.veculion.  The  day  of  doom  was  at  hand.  The  instruments  of 
vengeance  were  prepared.  The  arm  of  the  executioner  was  about 
to  fall,  when  lo!  interposed  between  him  antl  his  victim,  "the 
Jewell  of  his  crown,  the  angel  of  his  heart,  the  dearc^st  daughter  of 
his  house" — not  as  when,  six  years  before,  in  the  simple  eagerness 
and  passionate  resolve  of  childhood,  she  Hung  herself  upon  the  body 
of  a  solitary  captive  in  her  fatlier's  tent,  and  \varded  off  the  deadly 
blow  —  but,  passively,  herself  a  prisoner  —  involuntarily,  like  a 
shield  forced  to  stand  between  the  assailant  and  the  assailed,  she  is 
there,  in  the  budding  beauty  of  early  womanhood,  in  her  modest, 
timid,  retiring  gentleness,  a  foil  to  the  vengeance  of  her  father  and 
her  race,  and  the  guardian  angel  of  the  doomed  colony. 

Paralyzed  with  disappointment  and  rage,  Powhatan  received  in 
sullen  silence  the  tidings  of  his  daughter's  captivity.  Foi-  many 
\veel\S,  he  sent  no  full  rei)ly  to  the  message  of  the  Governor,  inform- 
ing him  that  he  held  her  as  a  hostage,  and  demanding  concessions, 
as  the  price  of  her  viltimate  enlargement.  So  dear  was  she  to  his 
lieart,  to  his  people,  and  to  all  the  tribes  of  his  wide  domain,  that 
they  could  not  find  a  vote  in  the  council  to  proceed  with  the  ^v•ork 
of  ruin,  in  which  .she  w-as  to  be  involved.  At  the  same  time,  the 
l)rnud  and  fretted  monarch  could  not  submit  to  the  terms  demand I'd 
for  her  ransom.  He  sent  back  seven  English  prisoners,  whom  he 
had  doomed  to  sacrifice,  each  with  an  unserviceable  musket,  which 
had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians.  He  promised  them,  upon  the  x-c- 
Jease  of  his  daughter,  to  make  full  satisfaction  for  all  past  injuries ; 
lo  enter  into  a  treaty  of  peace  with  them,  and  to  give  them  five 


2l() 


POCAHONTAS. 


liiuulrcd  bushels  if  corn.  This  was  not  enough.  The  Governor 
demanded  a  surrender  of  all  the  swords  and  fire-arms,  which  had 
l)eeii  obtained  by  tlie  Indians,  either  by  purchase  or  theft.  They 
were  becoming  expert  in  the  use  of  them,  and,  in  proportion  as  they 
(H<1  so,  were  losing  their  sense  of  the  white  man's  superiority.  This 
demand  was  too  much  for  the  aml)ition  of  the  king,  lie  indignantly 
refused  to  answer  it,  and  broke  oil'  the  negotiation. 

Determined  still  to  carry  his  point.  Governor  Dale,  at  the  head  of 
oiu;  luuidrcd  and  fifty  armed  men,  went  up  the  bay  to  Werouocomo, 
witli  Pocahontas  in  his  train,  and  proposed  to  the  king  to  restore 
her  to  his  arms  on  the  same  terms  as  before.  This  proposal  he  an- 
swered with  scorn  and  fight.  He  refused  to  see  the  Governor,  or 
his  daughter.  At  his  command,  the  Indians  attacked  the  intrudcr.s, 
but  were  driven  back  witli  loss,  and  some  of  their  houses  were  fired. 
Two  of  tlie  brothers  of  the  fair  captive  went  on  board  the  English 
ship,  and  had  an  allecting  interview  with  their  sister  whom  they 
tenderly  loved.  But  nothing  was  accomplished.  The  only  issue 
of  the  adventure  was  an  increase  of  hatred  and  hostility  on  the  part 
of  the  savage  monarch,  and  a  firmer  resolve  to  hold  no  intercourse 
or  traffic  with  the  enemy. 

Returning  to  Jamestown,  slill  a  [)ri.soner  and  a  hastage,  the 
daughter  of  Powhatan  was  treat(>d  w  ilh  all  the  consideration  and 
kindness  (hie  to  her  ranli  and  character,  and  to  the  services  she  had 
rendered  the  colony.  She  was  tauglit  to  read,  and  carefully  in- 
structed in  the  truths  of  religion.  Apt  to  learn,  and  tenderly  sus- 
ce])lil)le  to  every  good  impression,  she  received,  with  eagerness  and 
avidity,  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gos])el.  They  met  at  once,  and  fully 
supplied,  the  longings  of  a  heart  that  yearned  for  something  purer 
and  higher  than  the  cold  and  dreamy  superstitions  of  her  native 
mvlhology.  Tlu-y  gave  full  scope  to  the  aspirations  of  a  soul  pant- 
ing for  an  innnortality  till  then  unrevealed.  With  wonder  and  awe 
slie  contemplated  the  character  of  the  one  only  living  and  true  God — 
to  her,  till  then,  the  unknown  God.     With  inexpressible  gratitude, 


n 


BIOGllAPIIY. 


217 


and  rapturous  deliglil,  she  listened  to  the  story  of  a  Saviour's  death, 
and  the  way  of  salvation  thus  opened  to  the  transgressor.  With 
simple  faith,  and  unhesitating  confidence,  she  received  the  crucified 
One  as  her  Redeemer  and  portion,  rejoicing  in  the  hope  of  forgive- 
ness through  his  blood.  A  new  world  was  opened  to  her  view.  A 
now  life  was  revealed  to  her  ravished  thought.  A  whole  immor- 
tality, bright,  ineffably  bright,  with  visions  of  glory  and  blessedness 
which  eye  had  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  the  heart  of  man  con- 
ceived, burst  upon  her  willing  faith,  like  the  splendors  of  noonday 
upon  one  born  blind,  yet  always  yearning  for  light.  Pocahontas 
became  a  new  creature,  as  truly  so  in  a  spiritual  and  religious  sense, 
as  in  the  outward  and  entire  transformation  from  an  uncultivated 
child  of  the  forest,  to  a  refined,  intelligent  woman — the  trophy  and 
the  ornament  of  Christian  civilization. 

The  extreme  loveliness  of  her  person,  the  amiablencss  of  her  heart, 
the  almost  faultless  purity  of  her  life,  together  with  the  nol)le  tr  lils 
of  her  history,  had  won  the  admiration  of  her  teachers.  Baptized 
with  the  name  of  Rebecca,  and  received  into  the  Christian  cliurch, 
she  was  an  object  of  just  pride,  as  well  as  the  tenderest  regard,  to 
all  the  colony — the  first  fruits  of  the  western  wilderness — a  precious 
exotic,  transplanted  from  the  wilds  of  America  to  the  garden  of  the 
Lord. 

Rejoicing,  "  with  joy  unspeakable,"  in  the  new-found  lil)ertv  of 
the  gospel,  and  perceiving  that  she  was  performing,  in  her  captivity, 
a  mission  of  peace  between  her  race  and  the  white  man,  wliich,  in 
her  freedom,  she  was  powerless  to  accomplish,  Rebecca  Ijccame  not 
only  reconciled  to  her  position,  but  grateful  and  happy  to  be  made, 
in  any  way,  the  means  of  averting  from  those  she  loved,  the  horrors 
of  war,  and  weaving  for  them  a  bond  of  amity  v\'hich  should  never 
be  sundered. 

Among  the  youthful  adventurers,  who  sought  a  new  home  in  the 
infant  colony,  there  were  some  gentlemen  of  good  family,  polished 
education,  and  high  Christian  worth.     Of  these,  John  Rolfe,  of 

28 


21-! 


POCAHONTAS. 


London,  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished,  for  the  excellence  of  his 
I'liiirai'tcr,  and  the  firmness  of  his  principles.  Brought  iulo  c]<iso 
iidinity  with  tlio  young  Indian  maiden,  intrusted,  perhaps,  in 
jiart,  with  the  oversight  of  her  education,  and  witnessing  the  rapid 
development  of  her  mental  powers,  and  the  rich  treasures  of  a  heart, 
formed  for  the  purest  refinements  of  social  life,  the  regard  he  had 
felt  for  her  gave  place  to  admiration,  and  admiration  soon  brightened 
into  love.  ^Vorthy  even  of  Rebecca,  his  cliaracter  had  inspired  her 
with  a  similar  sentiment.  Tiioir  love  wjis  recij)rocal.  It  received 
the  approbation  of  Governor  Dale,  Avho,  mingling  views  of  policy 
with  tho.se  of  personal  regard  for  the  parties  who  were  dear  to  hiin, 
hoped,  by  a  bond  so  close  and  inseparable,  for  ever  to  disarm  tlie 
dreaded  hostility  of  the  red  man. 

Time,  reflection,  and  the  kindly  influence  of  daily  intercourse, 
and  profitable  commerce,  had  softened  the  rage  of  the  forest  mo- 
narch, and  turned  away  the  current  of  his  thoughts  from  his  old 
purpose  of  revenge.  He  readily  consented  to  the  marriage  of  liis 
daughter  with  the  white  man,  and  formed  upon  that  bond,  a  treaty 
of  perpetual  amity  with  the  English,  sending  to  the  Governor  a 
chain  of  pearls,  as  the  pledge  of  his  fidelity.  Unwilling  to  venture, 
in  per.son,  within  the  ]n-ecincts  of  the  colony,  he  sent  his  brother, 
Opacliisco,  and  two  of  his  sons,  to  witness  the  solemnities,  and  sanc- 
tion them  on  his  behalf  ()j)achisco,  as  the  representative  of  Pow- 
hatan, gave  the  bride  to  her  husband.  Her  brothers  confirmed  the 
compact  by  such  tokens  of  assent  and  affection  as  were  deemed 
most  appropriate  and  expressive,  whether  of  wampum-helt,  forest 
wild-flower,  feather- wrought  mantle,  or  charmed  sea  shell,  the  faith- 
ful annals  condescend  not  to  explain. 

In  this  auspicious  event,  the  wliole  mission  of  Pocahontas  was 
fulfilled.  The  first  iieroic  act  of  her  childhood,  wlien  slie  flung  her- 
self between  the  maiu-sta(T  and  hope  of  Virginia,  and  tlie  remorseless 
vengeance  of  her  fatlier,  was  but  the  type  and  foreshadowing  of  this, 
in  wliich  she  links  herself,  her  fortunes,  her  hopes,  indis.solubly 


BIOGRAPHY. 


219 


with  llio  inlrmJers,  and  beoomes  a  perfect  bond  of  union  and  peace 
Itetwei'ti  tlic  hostile  races. 

The  'jhronicles  of  that  day  delight  not  in  the  details  of  social  or 
civil  life.  They  amplify  only  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  war- 
fire,  the  fears  and  horrors  of  famine  and  disease,  or  the  toils  and 
tricks,  the  gains  and  losses  of  an  unequal  traffic.  We  consequently 
know  little  of  the  married  lifii  of  the  "  Lady  Rebecca."  Whether 
she  visited  often  the  forest  home  of  her  childhood,  receiving  the 
blessing  of  her  aged  fatlier,  and  breatliing  into  his  ear,  with  the 
blandishments  of  filial  love,  the  healing,  life-giving  pronuses  of  the 
gospel — what  advances  s'le  made  in  knowledge,  and  in  the  accom- 
plishments of  civilized  life — what  efforts  she  made  to  win  her  kin- 
dred to  the  futh  of  Jesus,  and  t'le  usages  of  civilization — what  joy 
she  felt  in  the  birth  of  a  son,  and  what  added  strength  the  presence 
and  name  of  that  son  gave  to  the  ties  that  seemed  to  be  binding  the 
two  races  together — we  are  not  told. 

In  the  spring  of  1616,  about  three  years  after  the  marriage,  Mr. 
Rolfe,  with  his  wife  and  child,  accompanied  Governor  Dale  to  Eng- 
land. Powhatan  was  too  much  involved  in  difficidties  at  home, 
arising  from  the  machinations  of  Opechancanough,  a  neighboring 
and  a  tributary  chief,  to  see  his  daughter  before  her  departure.  He 
never  saw  her  again.  His  affections  were  garnered  up  in  a  younger 
daughter,  whom  the  English  Governor  had  vainly  endeavored  to 
obtain  from  him,  in  the  hope  of  thus  adding  another  link  to  the 
chain  of  friendship — a  twofold  cord  of  national  alliance  and  family 
affinity — by  which  to  secure  the  unchangeable  friend.ship  of  ihe  king 
and  his  people.  The  proposal  was  as  impolitic  as  it  was  unkind. 
It  well  nigh  destroyed  the  hold  they  now  possessed  upon  the  old 
sachem's  regard.  It  touched  the  only  chord  in  his  iron  heart  that 
vibrated  to  a  tone  of  tenderness.  That  chord  had  been  rudely  struck, 
and  almost  broken,  when  Pocahontas  was  torn  from  him  by  the 
hand  of  violence.  This  second  attempt  to  disturb  his  domestic 
peace,  and  wrench  from  him  his  only  household  treasure,  the  child 


220 


POCAHONTAS. 


of  liis  old  age,  the  idol  of  his  nffections,  wlio  had  ahead)'  begun  to 
fill  the  aching  void  occasioned  by  the  loss  of  his  first  and  "dean^st 
Jewell,"  fdled  him  with  bitterness  and  proud  indignation.  It  niiglit 
have  wholly  estranged  him  from  his  cruel  friends,  if  his  faith  had 
not  been  pledged  by  the  chain  of  pearl  he  had  sent  them  at  the 
time  of  his  daughter's  marriage.  lie  demanded  that  chain  frotn  the 
messenger,  as  the  stipulated  credential  of  his  mission.  "  But,"  said 
he,  "  urge  me  no  further.  Seek  not  to  bereave  me  of  my  darling 
cliild,  or  to  e.vact  any  new  pledge  of  fidelity  from  me  or  my  people. 
We  have  had  enough  of  war.  Too  many  have  fallen  already  in  our 
condicts.  With  my  consent  there  shall  not  be  another.  I  have  tho 
power  here,  and  have  given  the  law  to  my  people.  I  am  old.  I 
would  end  my  days  in  peace  and  quietness.  My  country  is  large 
enough  for  both,  and  thougli  you  give  me  cau.se  of  quarrel,  I  will 
rather  go  from  you,  than  fight  with  you.     This  is  my  answer." 

And  this  was  his  only  answer.  How  full  of  force,  of  pathos,  of 
dignity,  of  honor  to  the  barbarian  prince,  of  merited  reproach  to 
the  grasping  Christian  Governor! 

Arrived  in  England,  Pocalioiitas  became  the  object  of  general 
regard  and  attention.  The  fame  of  her  character,  her  deeds  of 
heroism,  her  personal  beauty,  and  her  unalfectcd  piety  had  gone 
before  her.  She  was  treated  with  great  respect  and  kindness  by 
the  nobility,  as  well  as  by  the  religious  of  all  rank.s — her  title  as 
the  daughter  of  a  king  giving  her  free  access  to  palace  and  court, 
and  her  heroic  devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the  colonv  civiu'r  her  a 
claim,  which  was  universally  recognized,  to  the  hospitality  of  the 
nation. 

Captain  Smith  was  still  in  England  ;  and,  just  at  this  time,  was 
making  preparations  for  another  voyage  to  America.  As  soon  as 
he  heard  of  the  arrival  of  his  "dearest  Jewell,"  he  wrote  to  the 
Queen,  in  the  following  terms,  commending  the  lovely  stranger  to 
her  royal  favor. 


BIOGRAPHY. 


221 


"  To  the  most  high  and  virtuous  Princess,  Queen  Anne  of  Great 
Britain. 

"  Most  admiked  Quekn  : 

"  The  love  I  l)eare  my  God,  my  king,  and  my  countric,  hath 
so  oft  emholdened  niec  in  tlie  worst  of  extreme  (hingers,  that  now 
iionestie  doth  constraine  me  presume  thus  farre  heyond  niyselfe,  to 
present  jour  majestic  this  short  discourse:  if  ingratitude  bee  a 
deadly  poyson  to  all  honest  vertues,  1  must  be  guillie  of  that  crime 
if  I  should  omit  any  means  to  be  thankful. 

"  So  it  is,  that  some  ten  yeares  agoe,  being  in  Virginia,  and  taken 
prisoner  by  the  power  of  Powhatan,  their  chief  king,  I  received  from 
this  great  salvage  exceeding  great  courte«es,  especially  from  his 
son,  Nautaipiaas,  the  manliest,  comeliest,  boldest  spirit  1  ever  saw 
in  a  salvage,  and  his  sister,  Pocahontas,  the  king's  most  deare  and 
well-beloved  daughter,  being  but  a  child  of  twelve  or  thirteen  yeares 
(if  age,  whose  compassionate,  pitifull  heart,  of  desperate  estate,  gave 
me  much  cause  to  respect  her:  I  being  the  first  Clu-istian  this 
proud  king  and  his  grim  attendants  ever  saw,  and  thus  inthralled 
in  their  barbarous  power,  I  cannot  say  I  felt  the  least  occasion  of 
want  that  was  in  the  power  of  those,  my  mortal  foes  to  prevent, 
notwithstanding  all  their  threats.  After  some  six  weeks  fatting 
amongst  those  savage  courtiers,  at  the  minute  of  my  execution,  she 
iiazarded  the  beating  out  of  her  own  brains  to  save  mine;  and  not 
onely  that,  but  so  prevailed  with  her  father,  that  I  was  safely  con- 
ducted to  Jamestowne,  where  I  found  about  eight  and  thirtie  mise- 
rable, poor,  and  sick  creatures,  to  keepe  the  possession  of  all  those 
large  territories  of  Virginia;  such  was  the  weaknesse  of  this  pooro 
commonwealth,  as,  had  the  savages  not  fed  us,  we  directly  had 
starved. 

"  And  this  relyfe,  most  gracious  Queen,  was  commonly  brought 
us  by  tliis  lady,  Pocahontas;  notwithstanding  all  these  passages 
when  inconstant  fortune  turned  our  peace  to  warre,  this  tender 
virgin  would  still  not  spare  to  dare  to  visit  us,  and  by  her  own 


POCAHONTAS. 


fiir.  s.  h  ivr  bppii  oft  appeased,  and  our  wants  still  supplyod;  woro 
it  llio  policio  of  iicr  fatlior  tliiis  to  employ,  or  tlie  ordiiiMiice  of  God 
tliiis  to  inako  licr  liis  iiistruinoiit,  or  her  cxtraordinarie  alffction  to 
our  nation,  f  know  not;  but  of  tliis  I  am  sure — wIkmi  her  father, 
with  the  \itmost  of  his  policie  and  pow(>rs.  sought  to  surprise  me, 
having  but  eighteen  with  me,  the  darko  ni'^ht  could  not  alfrii^ht 
her  from  commini,'  throutfh  the  irkesome  woods,  and  with  watered 
eyes,  gave  me  intelligcnee,  with  her  l)est  advice,  to  escape  his  furie; 
which,  had  he  knowne,  he  had  surely  slaine  her.  Janiestowne, 
with  her  wilde  traine,  she  as  freely  frcrpiented  as  her  f  ithor's  habi- 
tation ;  and,  during  the  time  of  two  or  three  yeares,  she,  next  under 
God,  was  still  the  instrument  to  j)reserve  liiis  colonic  from  death, 
funine,  and  utter  confusion;  which,  if  in  those  times,  had  once 
h.'come  dissolved,  Virginia  might  have  laine  as  it  was  at  our  first 
arrival!  to  this  day.  Since  then,  this  business  having  been  turned 
and  varied  by  many  accidents  from  that  I  left  it  at;  it  is  most  ccr- 
taine,  after  a  long  and  most  troublesome  warre  after  my  departure, 
betwi.xt  her  father  and  our  colonic,  all  which  time  she  was  not 
heard  of.  about  two  years  after  she  herself  was  taken  prisoner^ 
being  so  detained  nearc  two  yeares  longer,  the  colonic  by  that 
meanes  was  relieved,  ])eaco  concluded,  and  at  last,  rejecting  her 
barbarous  condition,  was  married  to  an  English  gentleman  with 
whom  at  this  present  she  is  in  England ;  the  first  Christian  ever 
of  that  nation,  the  first  Virginian  ever  spake  English,  or  had  a 
child  in  marriage  by  an  Englishman;  a  matter,  surely,  if  my  mean- 
ing be  truly  considered  and  well  understood,  worthy  a  Prince's  un- 
derstanding. 

"  Thus,  most  gracious  ladie,  I  have  related  to  your  majestic, 
what  at  your  best  leasure  our  approved  histories  will  account  to 
you  at  large,  and  done  in  the  time  of  youre  majestieV  life,  and  how- 
ever this  might  bee  presented  you  from  a  more  worthic  pen,  it  can- 
not from  a  more  honest  heart.  As  yet  I  never  begged  any  thing 
of  the  state,  or  of  any,  and  it  is  my  want  of  abilitie,  and  her  exceed 


BIOGRAPHY. 


298 


iiig  desert,  your  birlli,  mouiios,  and  aulhoritio,  lier  birlli,  vcrtuc, 
want,  and  sirnplicitio,  dotli  riiulu;  nice  tlins  liold,  linmldy  to  be- 
socclie  yniir  niiijestie  to  take  tliis  Ivoowledire  of  lier,  tlioii<rli  it  lice 
from  one  so  unwortliie  to  bee  the  reporter  as  myseUe,  licr  h\isl)and"s 
estate  not  beinir  able  to  make  lier  fit  to  attend  yonr  majeslie;  tlie 
most  and  least  [  ean  doe,  is  to  tell  you  tiiis,  because  none  so  oft  bath 
trieil  it  as  niysclfe.    And  so  I  humbly  kisse  your  jTracioiis  handes." 

Whether  Pocaliontas  was  iiidel)tcd  to  this  warm-hearted  and  elo- 
f|ueut  appeal,  for  tli(>  attentions  lavished  upon  her  at  court,  and  in 
all  tiie  hiifli  places  of  the  hind,  we  are  not  informed.  She  was  rc- 
ciiivcd  with  signal  Oivor  by  tiie  Queen  and  the  pedantic  Jamt's,  her 
royal  husband.  For  her  sake,  and  in  consideration  of  her  rare  vir- 
tues, and  her  signal  services  to  the  sulfering  subjects  of  the  crown, 
her  husijand,  though  a  commoner  of  moderate  ])retcnsions  as  to 
birlh,  was  forgiven  the  almost  treasonable  presmnption  of  a.spirin" 
to  the  hand  of  a  royal  princess — a  trospa.ss  upon  the  "divine 
right,"  which  few  would  be  more  ready  to  notice  and  resent,  than 
tlie  .sapient  son  of  Mary  Stuart. 

To  the  unsophisticated  mind  of  the  "  Lady  Rebecca,"  these 
princely  favors  and  courtly  attentions  made  no  amends  for  the  .sceu)- 
ing  neglect  and  coldness  of  Captain  Smith,  whom  she  regarded  with 
all  the  reverence  and  affection  of  an  oidy  child.  Ilis  singular 
prowess,  his  wonderful  exploits,  his  almost  supernatural  courao-e 
and  power,  had  filled  her  young  imagination,  and  inspired  her  witii 
sentiments  of  admiration,  awe,  and  love,  due  to  a  superior  race  of 
beings.  With  a  love  as  free  from  passion  as  it  was  from  .selfishness, 
she  had  many  times  jeoparded  her  life  for  his.  From  his  lips  she 
had  first  heard  the  name  of  God,  anil  the  voice  of  prayer ;  and  him, 
above  all  other  men,  she  regarded  as  the  lean  <V/w/ of  greatness  and 
goodness,  whose  presence  and  smiles  were  of  more  worth  to  her 
than  all  the  favors  of  tlie  court,  or  the  fl;itteries  of  the  titled  thou- 
sands that  surrounded  it.  She  longed  to  see  him  and  embrace  him 
as  a  father. 


221 


POCAHONTAS. 


IJiit,  II  jealous  was  tlio  Eii;^lisli  inonairli  of  \\\v,  pri'rojrativrs  of 
rank,  and  llic!  ctiinu'tle  of  casto,  llial  tlio  liardy  old  soldier  dared  not 
salute  tlic  Lady  Rebecca,  the  daughter  of  King  Powhatan,  except  in 
tliat  stately,  reserved,  and  deferential  manner,  which  was  prescribed 
ill  the  court  rui)rics.  He  bowed  and  touched  her  hand  with  cold 
and  distant  respcu-t.  lie  gave  no  expression  by  look  or  word,  to  the 
fond  and  grateful  afleclion  witli  which  he  regarded  her.  She  felt 
it  deeply.  It  went,  like  steel,  with  an  icy  coldness,  to  her  heart. 
^\  itliout  uttering  a  word,  .she  turned  away  her  face,  and  wept.  For 
several  hours,  she  refu.sed  to  speak,  she  seemed  ovtirwiiehued  with 
disappointment,  chagrin,  and  a  sense  of  unutterable  desertion.  At 
lenglli,  recovering  from  her  dejection,  she  sought  "  the  great  cap- 
tain," and  gently  rej)roaclicd  him  for  his  cold  reccjption  of  his 
adopted  child,  who  had  long  yearned  to  see  and  embrace  him. 

"  You  did  promise  Powhatan,"  she  said,  "  that  what  was  yours 
should  be  his,  and  he  made  a  like  promise  to  you.  You,  being  in 
his  land  a  stranger,  called  him  father,  and  by  the  same  right,  I  will 
call  you  so." 

When  it  was  objected  that  she  was  a  king's  daughter,  and  it 
would  displease  his  king  if  he  should  fail  to  treat  her  with  the  high 
respect  due  to  her  rank,  she  replied,  "  Were  you  not  afraid  to  come 
into  my  father's  country,  and  cause  fear  in  him  and  all  his  people 
but  myself,  and  do  you  fear  that  I  shall  call  you  father  here?  I  tell 
you  that  I  will  call  you  father,  and  you  shall  call  me  child,  and  so 
it  .shall  be  for  ever." 

The  ice  thus  broken  never  closed  up  again.  She  had  frequent 
interviews  \\  ith  Smith,  and  never  had  cause  to  complain  that  ho 
was  less  to  her  than  a  father ;  while  he  had  infinite  satisfaction  in 
M-itnessing  her  daily  improvement,  and  the  unaffected  ease,  and 
grace,  and  dignity,  with  which  she  bore  her  part  in  the  new  sj)liere 
to  which  she  had  been  so  suddenly  introduced.  She  met  and  sur- 
passed every  expectation.     And  they,  who,  before  her  arrival,  had 


inoc  UAPiiv. 


licanl  tlio  fame;  of  Ium-  Ijuauty,  lior  wit,  licr  lovcliiicss,  ami  her  virtue, 
were  iVi'i!  to  cfiiifoss  that  "  tliu  lialf  had  not  Iummi  told  tliciri." 

Having  reriiaiiicd  about  ft  year  in  Eii<,daMd,  Mr.  Holll',  witli  liis 
royal  hrido,  prepared  to  return  to  Vir]L,nnia.  But  Providcnco,  in 
inscrutable  wisdom,  had  ordered  it  otherwise.  The  mission  of  I'l  - 
cidiontas  was  fulfdled.  81i<!  siokeiied  and  died  at  Grave.send,  as  she 
was  prejjaring  to  embark.  'l"he  siunnions  was  sudden,  but  it  found 
her  fully  ready.  With  the  calmness  of  Christian  resignation,  and 
tli(!  triumph  of  Christian  faith,  she  welcomed  the  messenger,  which 
was  .sent  to  call  her  to  hor  home  and  crown  in  heaven.  She  left  to 
her  bereaved  huslKind,  and  the  .sorrowing  friends  around  her,  the 
sweetest  and  fullest  testimony  that  her  name  was  written  in  the 
Lamb's  book  of  life. 

Mr.  Rolfe  returned  in  widowhood  and  sorrow  to  his  desolate  home 
in  America.  Ilis  son,  Thomas  Rolfe,  was  educated  by  his  uncle, 
in  England,  and  afterwards  rose  to  eminence  and  wealth  in  his  na- 
tive land.  From  him  are  descended  some  of  the  first  families  of 
"  the  Old  Dominion,"  who,  with  a  just  and  honorable  pride,  trace 
])ack  their  origin  to  the  daughter  of  Powhatan. 

The  character  of  Pocahont  is  exhibits  a  wonderful  symmetry  and 

fulness  of  proportions,  in   which,  from  childhood  to  the  mature 

woman,  there  is  neither  lack  nor  excess  in  a  single  trait.  At  twelve, 

she  had  the  lieroism,  the  endurance,  the  constancy  of  a  woman — al 

twenty-two,  the  modesty,  the  gentleness,  the  artless  simplicity,  the 

impulsive  ingenuous  earnestness,  and  the  transparent  truthfulness 
of  a  child. 

29 


HISTORY 


OF 


THE   INDIAN  TRIBES 


OF 


NORTH    AMERICA. 


TiiK  Piirlicr  historians,  who  recorded  the  efforts  and  progress  of 
the  European  adventurers  tliat  sought  in  the  New  "World  those 
favors  which  fortune  had  denied  them  in  the  Old,  have  not  left  us 
much  precise  information  respecting  the  condition  of  Hie  Indian 
trilu's  who  then  occujjicd  this  part  of  the  continent.  The  external 
apiiearance  of  the  Indians,  and  their  mode  of  life,  differing  so  widely 
from  every  thing  which  Europeans  had  previously  seen,  seem  to 
have  arrested  their  attention,  and  withdrawn  it  from  ohjects  of 
in(|uiry,  wliich,  to  us,  arc  so  much  more  imjwrtant. 

Co:dd  we  bring  hack  the  tiu'ce  ct'nturios  that  have  elapsed  since 
the  discovery  by  Columbus,  how  much  mi^'.it  \vc  hope  to  recall  of 
the  history,  tradition,  and  iustitntions  of  the  Indians  whii'li  have 
f(H-  ever  passed  awav  !  Still,  much  remains — and  if  all  who  have 
opportunities  for  oliservation  would  devote  themselves  to  these 
researches,  a  race  of  men,  not  more  insulated  in  their  [josition  tluin 
peculiar  in  their  opinions  and  customs,  would  be  rescued  from  tlial. 
conqjarative  oblivion  in  which  we  fear  they  arc  destined,  undfr 
r-fosent  circumstances  speedily  to  become  involved. 

Whence  the  Indians  of  America  derived  their  origin  is  a  question 
long  discussed ;  and,  idthongh  the  peculiar  causes,  and  rovite,  and 

( •■;-'>) 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


227 


oircnmstances  of  their  migration  can  never  be  ascertained,  yet  there 
is  httle  doubt,  at  this  day,  that  they  are  branches  of  the  great  Tar- 
tar stock.  In  arriving  at  tliis  conclusion,  we  do  not  give  much 
weiglit  to  any  casual  coincidences  that  may  be  discerned  between 
tlie  Asiatic  and  American  u.,.lects.  Of  all  the  sources  of  informa- 
lion  1)y  which  the  descent  of  nations  can  be  traced,  we  consider  the 
(hxluctions  of  comparative  etymology^,  when  applied  to  a  written 
language,  the  most  uncertain.  It  is  dithcult  in  such  cases  to  fix, 
uith  accuracy,  the  true  sound  of  words  ;  and  it  is  well  known  that 
coincidences  exist  in  many  languages,  raxlically  different  from  one 
another,  and  snr'ken  by  communities  whose  separaliou  from  any 
common  stock  precedes  all  historic  monuments.  Such  coincidences 
are  either  accidental,  or  the  analogous  v.ords  are  Ine  connnon  relics 
of  that  universal  tongue  which  was  lost  in  the  miraculous  interpo- 
sition upon  the  plains  of  Shinar. 

There  is  a  fact  illustrative  of  this  position,  within  our  own  know- 
ledge, whirli  demonstrates  the  futility  of  any  conclusion  drawn  from 
such  premises.  It  is  well  known  ihat  tl\e  practice  of  dividing  fields 
in  England,  by  ditches,  was  introduced  in  tlic  last  century.  When  it 
was  first  adopted,  the  common  people  were  .suddenly^  arrested  in 
tlieir  walks  upon  tlie  l)rink  of  th(  se  ditches,  without  being  aware 
of  their  existence  until  they  approached  them.  Their  surprise  was 
manifested  by  the  exclamation,  "//«,  /<«,"  and  eventually  the  ditches 
themselves  were  deuoininatcd  ha,  ha.  Among  the  Sioux,  the  Falls 
of  St.  Anthony  arc  called  ha,  ha.  These  falls,  approached  from 
below,  are  not  visible,  until  a  projecting  point  is  ])a.ssed,  when  they 
burst  xipon  the  traveller  in  all  their  grandeur.  The  Indians,  no 
doubt,  struck  with  the  sudden  and  glorious  prospect,  marked  their 
surjjrisc,  as  did  the  English  peasants,  with  the  same  exclamation — 
fia,  ha  ;  and  tliis  exclamation  has  become  the  name  of  the  cataract. 
But  he  who  would  deduce  from  this  coincidence  the  common  orifrin 
of  the  English  and  Sioux,  would  reason  as  logically  as  many  of 
those  who  arrange  the  branches  of  the  human  family  into  chusses 


228 


INDIAN   TRIBES  OF  NORTH   AMERICA. 


bectmse   a  few  doubtful  resemblances  in  their  vocabularies  arc 
discovered. 

Some  curious  observations  on  this  topic  were  made  by  the  cele- 
l)rated  American  traveller,  John  Ledyard.  The  wide  extent  of  his 
travels  among  savage  nations  in  almost  every  region  of  the  globe, 
together  Avith  his  remarliable  sagacity  in  discriminating,  and  facilit\' 
in  recording,  the  peculiarities  of  savage  manners  and  character, 
gives  a  value  to  his  opinions  and  remarks  on  this  subject  which 
those  of  few  other  persons  can  claim.  The  following  extract  is  from 
liis  Journal,  written  in  Siberia : 

"  I  have  not  as  3'ct  taken  any  vocabularies  of  the  Tartar  language. 
If  I  take  any,  tlioy  will  be  very  short  ones.  Nothing  is  more  apt 
to  deceive  than  vocal)ularics,  when  taken  by  an  entire  stranger. 
Men  of  scientific  curiosity  make  use  of  them  in  investigating  ques- 
tions of  philosophy  as  well  as  history,  and  I  think  often  with  too 
much  confidence,  since  nothing  is  more  difficult  than  to  take  a  voca- 
bulary that  shall  answer  any  good  ends  for  such  a  purpose.  Tlie 
(lillerent  sounds  of  the  same  letters,  and  of  the  same  combinations 
of  letters,  in  the  languagv-s  of  Europe,  present  an  iiisurniountal)lc 
ob.stacle  lo  making  a  vocabulary  which  shall  bo  of  general  u.so. 
Tlie  dilTerent  manner,  also,  in  which  persons  of  the  same  language 
would  write  the  words  of  a  new  language,  would  b(!  such,  that  a 
.■sli-aiin,'r  might  suppose  them  to  be  two  languages. 

"  .\Iost  uncultivated  languages  are  very  difficult  to  be  orthogra- 
l>/ii:id  in  another  language.  They  are  generally  guttural;  i)ut 
ulieu  not  so,  the  ear  of  a  foreigner  cannot  accommodate  itself  to  the 
iudoction  of  the  speaker's  voice  .soon  enough  to  catch  the  true 
-jiiuud.  This  must  be  done  instantaneously;  and  even  in  a  laii- 
ijiiage  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  we  are  not  able  to  do  it  for 
several  years.  I  seize,  for  instance,  the  accidentiil  mon^.ent,  when  a 
siv;i|j^e  is  incliui-d  to  give  me  the  namw  of  Ihings.  The  medium 
of  this  conversation  is  only  signs.  The  savage  may  wish  to  give 
me  the  word  for  head,  and  lays  his  hand  on  the  top  uf  his  head.     I 


HISTORY  OF   THE 


229 


am  not  certain  wliether  he  means  the  head,  or  the  top  of  the  head,  oi 
perhaps  the  hair  of  the  head.  He  may  wish  to  say  kg,  and  puts  his 
hand  to  the  calf.  I  cannot  ^-ll  whether  he  means  the  leg,  or  the  calf, 
or  flesh,  or  the  flesh.  There  are  other  difficulties.  The  island  of 
Onalaska  is  on  the  coast  of  America,  opposite  to  Asia.  There  are 
few  traders  on  it.  Being  there  with  Captain  Cook,  I  was  wallcinir 
one  day  on  the  shore  in  company  with  a  native,  who  spoke  the 
Jliissian  language.  I  did  iiot  undcisland  it.  I  was  writing  the 
names  of  several  things,  and  pointed  to  the  ship,  supposing  he 
would  understand  that  I  wanted  the  name  of  it.  He  answered  me 
in  a  phrase  which,  in  Russ,  meant  /  know.  I  wrote  down  a  ship.  I 
gave  him  some  snuff,  which  he  took,  -.nd  held  out  his  hand  for 
more,  making  use  of  a  word  which  signified  in  Russ,  a  little.  I 
wrote  more.'" — Seo  Sparks's  Life  of  John  Ledijard,  p.  148,  first 
edition. 

The  claims  of  our  primitive  people  to  an  Asiatic  descent  are 
founded  upon  other  and  stronger  testimony; — upon  the  general 
ro.soinbliince  which  they  hear,  in  many  points  of  character,  manners, 
customs,  and  institutions — circumstances  not  easily  changed,  or 
easily  mistaken — to  the  various  tribes  occupying  the  great  table 
lands  of  Tartary.  We  feel  no  disposition  to  examine  the  details  of 
tliis  question.  It  has  been  long  before  the  literary  world,  and  all 
llic  facts  and  considerations  connected  Avith  it  have  been  carefully 
irM--;  rated,  discussed,  and  considered.  To  revive  it  were  idle, 
f'>r  -V  jjitcrest  can  never  be  revived,  nor  is  there  reason  to  suppose 
iij:;*  ;mv  lew  or  more  accurate  views  of  the  subject  will  ever  be 
|)resc,  f  -1. 

After  stating  many  curious  particulars  and  striking  fiicts  on  this 
sulijcct,  Ledyard  adds,  by  way  of  conclusion  fro.n  the  whole — 

"I  know  of  MO  people  among  whom  there  is  such  a  uniformity 
of  features  (except  the  Chinese,,  the  Jews,  and  tlic  negroes)  as 
among  the  Asiatic  Tartars.  They  are  .hstingui.slu'd,  indeed,  by 
different  tribes,  but  this  is  only  nominal.     Nature  has  not  acknow- 


230 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


lodged  llio  distinclion,  but,  on  the  contrary,  marlccd  tliom,  v.lscnv.  r 
found,  with  the  indisputable  stamp  of  Tartars.  \\'hether  in  JSdva 
Zonibla,  Mongolia,  Greenland,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi, 
they  arc  the  same  people,  forming  the  most  numerous,  and,  if  we 
must  except  the  Cliinese,  the  most  ancient  nation  on  the  globe.  But 
I,  for  myself,  do  not  except  the  Chinese,  because  I  have  no  doubt 
ot  their  being  of  the  same  family." 

Again,  he  says:  'T  am  certain  that  all  the  people  you  call  red 
pc'ople  on  the  contiii  i  "  nerica,  and  on  the  continents  of  Europe 
and  Asia,  as  far  south  .  .!  southern  parts  of  China,  are  all  one 
people,  by  whatever  names  distinguished,  and  that  the  best  general 
name  would  be  Tartar.  I  suspect  tliat  all  red  people  are  of  the 
same  fimily.  I  am  satisfied  that  America  was  peopled  from  Asia, 
and  luul  some,  if  not  all,  its  animals  from  thence." — Life  of  Ledyurd, 
l)p.  216,  255. 

Equally  idle  would  it  be  to  indulge  in  speculations  concerning 
the  causes,  or  motives,  or  circumstances,  Avhich  led  to  this  exodus 
from  the  eastern  to  the  western  continent.  How  long  it  had  occurred 
previously  to  the  discovery  is,  and  must  remain,  a  matter  of  conjec- 
ture— the  facts  iu  our  possession  are  not  sufficient  to  enable  us  to 
form  even  a  plausible  conjecture  upon  the  subject.  It  is  evident, 
however,  that  many  ages  must  have  passed  away  between  the  first 
settlement  of  America  and  its  discovery  by  Europeans.  With  the 
exception  of  the  half-civilized  empires  of  Mexico  an<l  Peru,  the 
aboriginal  inhabitants  were  roving  liarbarians,  little  advanced  from 
a  state  of  nature,  and  depending  sold}-  upon  the  cha.se  for  the  means 
of  subsistence.  They  .seem  to  have  been  spread  pretty  e([ually  over 
the  continent,  leaving  no  portion  of  the  country  without  inhaliitants, 
nor  any  with  a  dense  population.  Barbarous  tribes,  under  such 
circumstances,  increase  slowly.  The  life  of  a  hunter  is  not  favor- 
al)le  to  a  rapid  increase  of  population.  If  he  sometimes  possesses 
an  abundance,  he  is  often  exposed  to  famine. 

In  forming  a  correct  estimate  of  the  early  condition  of  the  Indians, 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


281 


much  allowance;  must  be  made  for  the  spirit  of  exaggeration  visible 
in  the  narratives  of  the  first  travellers  and  adventurers.  They  seem 
to  have  surveyed  the  ol)jects  before  them  under  the  inllucnce  of  a 
mirage,  which  not  only  distorted  the  features,  but  incretiscd  their 
numbers  and  proportions.  In  addition  to  this  predispo.sition,  the 
fault  in  some  measure  of  the  age,  the  soldiers  of  fortimc  who 
hazarded  life  and  fame  in  their  efforts  to  subdue  the  native  inhabit- 
ants, were  led,  in  the  statement  of  their  own  claims  and  services, 
1o  overrate  the  number,  and  power,  and  resources,  of  their  enemies. 
Tlicrc  are  many  evidences  of  this  spirit,  particularly  among  the 
Spani.sh  conquerors,  and  he  who  reads  the  account  of  their  expedi- 
tions, and  compares  them  with  the  habits  and  condition  of  the 
people  they  describe,  as  these  are  now  known  to  us,  must  be  satis- 
fied that,  if  the  leading  facts  are  true,  the  details  are  entitled  to  little 
vredit.  It  is  ditlicult,  at  this  distance  of  time  and  place,  to  point  to 
[)articular  instances  of  this  habit  of  misrepresentation.  The  con- 
cbision  must  be  deduced  rather  from  a  general  view  of  the  subject, 
than  from  single  facts.  But  there  is  one  gross  exaggeration  which 
we  are  able  to  detect,  by  a  comparison  of  the  descriptions  which 
\vd\c  come  to  us  with  the  actual  customs  of  the  Indians  of  the 
])resent  day. 

Every  one  must  recollect  the  wonderful  accounts  which  have 
been  given  of  the  hieroglyphical  pictures  of  the  jSIexicans,  and  these 
have  been  often  referred  to  as  evidence  of  tlie  advances  made  by 
that  people  in  knowledge  and  civilization.  In  Dr.  Robertson's 
"History  of  America,"  accurate  representations  are  given  of  tliose 
paintings;  and  they  resemble,  in  every  particular,  the  rude  draw- 
ings made  by  the  Sioux,  and  other  western  Indians,  upon  tlie  fleshy 
side  of  their  buffalo  skins.  The  exact  resemblance  cannot  be  mis- 
lakan,  as  every  one  may  satisfy  himself  who  will  compare  the  re- 
duced fac-similes  given  by  Dr  Robertson  with  those  which  accom- 
pany Dr.  James's  account  of  Colonel  Long's  travels  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 


INDIAN  TRIBES  OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


In  the  rcjjion  extending  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  from  the  great  lakes  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexicd, 'there 
wore  numerous  tribes  wandering  over  the  country  and  dividing  it 
among  them  by  very  indefinite  boundaries,  and  an  imperfect  pos- 
session. It  is  impossible  to  form  an  enumeration  of  these  tribes, 
as  they  existed  at  the  era  of  the  discovery.  We  have  ourselves 
collected  not  less  than  two  hundred  and  seventy-two  names*  of 


*i)ub()is, 

Clieveux  rolevez, 

(iuntoghies, 

Adnondi'cks, 

Capiga, 

Bull  heads, 

Mussis.ikies, 

Esopus, 

Cheveux  ou  Port  leu6, 

Aiidata  bonato, 

Oneiclas, 

Can  istoga. 

Calmawas, 

Arogisti, 

Sinodouwas, 

Dewagamas, 

Lonehas, 

Ouondagos, 

Cayiigas, 

Wayanoak, 

Chictagliicks, 

Iwikties, 

Utawawas, 

Ouy.slanous, 

Kaskaskias, 

Mitchigamuas, 

Renais, 


Outagainies, 

SioMX, 

Saks, 

Kickapoos, 

Tamawas, 

Chactas,  or  Choctaws, 

Peaiiguich'as,  or  Pcahu- 
sliaws,  supposed  to  be 
Peanguicheas,  orPian- 
keshaws, 

Alibamous, 

'.'^askikis, 

Outachepas, 

Tomeas, 

Abchas, 

Talapenches, 

Conchakus, 

Pakauds, 

Kaoutyas,  or  Cowetas, 

Ouanchas, 

Chenakisses, 

Escaamba, 

Souriquois, 

Cambas, 

Peskadaneeoukkanti, 

Twightwes, 

Salanas, 


Shawanous, 

Outaganiies, 

Kebaboiis, 

Maskuticks, 

Maliekandes, 

Pottawatimies, 

Walliominies, 

Puans, 

Dionoudtidie, 

Owenagiingas, 

Ouiagies, 

Ponaeocks, 

Schahooks, 

Agonnousioni, 

Canabas, 

Eteclieneus,  or  Etchmins, 

Malicetes, 

Baisimotcs, 

Papinacliois, 

Oumamioucks, 

Eves,  or  Chats, 

L'Ecureuil, 

Moliingaiis,  supposed  to 
be  Alohingans  or  Mo- 
hicans, 

Nez  percez, 

Kareses, 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


233 


different  tribes  which  are  found  in  the  early  narratives  and  histo- 
ries ;  and  how  many  more  would  have  been  disclosed  by  further 


research,  we  presume  not  to  say.   L 

Ipou 

what  principle  these  appel- 

lations  were  originally  given,  it  is 

imp 

r>&sible  to  ascertain.     They 

far  exceed  any  actual  divisions  dmong 

the  Indians,  either  social  oi 

political,  which  could  have  existed ; 

and  it  would  be  vain  to  inquire 

Mo u son  is, 

Oaktashippas, 

Nachee, 

Cawittas, 

Wyogtami, 

Yamasee, 

Tallpoosas, 

Shogleys, 

Coosah, 

Coosas, 

Musquakey, 

Callapipas, 

Apalachias, 

Assinais, 

Oumas, 

Coushaes,  or  Coosades, 

Adaies,  or  Adayes, 

Tomkas, 

Oakmulgis, 

Pararaahas, 

Natehes, 

Oconis, 

Epesenglcs, 

Anhawas, 

Ockhoys, 

Avoyelles, 

Pehenguichias, 

Alibam, 

Chatots, 

Pr, 

Weeturakees, 

Thomez, 

Casco, 

Palennas, 

Chacci  Oumas, 

Pigwachet, 

Tacusas, 

Oufe  Agoulas, 

Piscalaquas, 

Chacsihoomis, 

Tapoussas, 

Newickawanacks, 

Alickas, 

Bayouc  Agoulas, 

Wiscasset, 

Odsinachies, 

Oque  Loussas, 

Passaraaquoddy, 

Aunies, 

Avoyels, 

St.  Francois, 

Tuscaroras, 

Otheues, 

Quinaquous, 

Nehkereages, 

Wampano, 

Ipati, 

Tahsagroudie, 

Wamanus, 

Hannetons, 

Conestogoe, 

Chihokokis, 

Oua, 

Canoyeas,  or  Nantihokes, 

Wapingeisj 

Tentouha, 

Conoyucksuchroona, 

Connecedegas, 

Nadouesteaus,  supj^o.^uf. 

Coohnewwasroonaw, 

Rondaxes, 

to  be  Nadowessies, 

Tehoanoughroonaw, 

Wasses,    mentioned 

by    Arsenipoits, 

Sachdagughroonaw, 

Long, 

Chougaskabees, 

Catawbas, 

Hawoyazask,or 

Musquash,  Aisnous, 

Chfinkus, 

Minisuk, 

Tangibao, 

30 

234 


INDIAN   TRIBES  OF  NORTH   AMERICA. 


to  what  tribes  or  bands  many  of  them  were  given.  Then,  as  now, 
the  Indians  were  doubtless  separated  into  many  communities,  occu- 
pying different  regions,  and  with  interests  which  were,  or  were 
supposed  to  be,  various  and  sometimes  adverse.  Whether  they  all 
descended  from  a  common  stock  is  a  question  not  easily  answered. 
Even  at  this  day,  our  information  concerning  the  Indian  languages 


Conoy,  living  among  the 

Tusciiroras, 
\quelon  _  issas,  or  Colla 

pissas, 
Tiaoux, 
Quanoatinos, 
Tarahas, 
Palaquessous, 
Nabari, 
Montagnes,  supposed  to 

be     Montagnard,     or 

Montagues, 
Ochasteguins, 
Ontaouonones, 
Andastonez, 
Bussenmeus, 
Altihamaguez, 
Gaspesiuns, 
Iroquets, 
Nation  neuht, 
Sokoki, 
Abenaquis, 
Ozembogus, 
Tangeboas, 
Ostonoos, 
Mausalea, 
Mousa, 
Ossotoues, 
Chachachv  'ima, 


Shawendadies, 

Wateree, 

Eano, 

Cliarah, 

Chowan, 

Chitimachas, 

Hoomas, 

Mobilians, 

Pasca  Oocolos, 

Hattahappas,    supposed 

to  be  Atakapas, 
Uchees, 
Biloxis, 
Ybitoopas, 
Mistapnis, 
Pascagoulas, 
Bayagoulas, 
Quinnepas, 
Mongontrtchas, 
Tonicas, 
Otchagras, 
Sahohes, 

Amikones,  or  Castor, 
Malecites, 
Poualakes, 
Onyapes, 
Apineus, 

Mattaugwessawacks, 
Nihanticks. 


Ouabaches, 

Biscatonges, 

Chininoas, 

Chouinaus, 

Nassonis, 

Androscoggins,  or  Ana- 

saguntacooks, 
Corrois, 
OfFogoulas, 
Teoux, 
Castachas, 
Atakapas, 
Ounontcharonnous, 
Plats  cotez  de  chiens, 
Savanois, 
Gaspesiens, 
Bersiamitts, 
Papenachois, 
Montagnez, 
Naausi, 
Naicboas, 
Ouadiches, 
Cabinoios, 
Mentous, 
Ozotheoa, 
Dogenga, 
Panivacha, 
Pera, 
Panaloga, 


HISTORY    OF    THE 


285 


is  very  imperfect.  The  principles  which  regultitc  thcin  are  but 
partially  known,  and  much  more  severe  investigations  into  their 
construction  will  be  necessary  before  we  are  enabled  to  ascertain 
all  the  points  of  resemblance  which  they  bear  one  to  another,  and 
all  the  anomalies  they  exhibit  when  compared  with  the  more  me- 
thodized and  finished  tongues  of  the  Old  World.  Many  of  the  In- 
dian languages  are  evideritly  cognate  dialects;  Init,  in  attempting 
to  ascend  to  their  common  origin,  we  soon  become  involved  in 
uncertainty. 

The  great  division  of  the  French  writers  was  into  the  Huron,  or 
Wyandot,  the  Algonquin,  and  the  Sioux  stocks.  These  compre- 
hended almost  all  the  tribes  known  to  them,  and  they  yet  compre- 
hend much  the  larger  portion  of  the  tribes  known  to  us.  But  besides 
these,  the  present  statd  of  our  information  upon  the  subject  leads  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  are  three  primitive  languages  spoken  by 
the  southern  tribes.  Of  these,  the  Choctaws  and  Chickasaws  form 
the  Creek,  or  Muskogee,  another ;  and  the  Cherokee  a  third. 


one; 


West  of  the  Mississippi,  the  primitive  dialects  appear  to  be  the  Mina- 
taree,  the  Pawnee,  the  Chayenne,  the  Blackfeet,  and  the  Padoucee, 
making  eleven  original  stocks  between  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 


Yatache.s, 

Onodo, 

Napgitache, 

Quonantino, 

Epicerinis,  or  Sorciers, 

Kiscakous, 

Mosookees, 

Ouachas, 

Caouachas, 

Omaus, 

Montagnais, 


Nepnet, 

Dassa  Monpeake, 

Chickahominies, 

Yamassecs, 

Nipmuck, 

Nianticks, 

Norredgewock, 

Wewenocks, 

Tomez, 

Toriraas, 

Topingas, 


Malatautes, 

Tichenos, 

Nepissings, 

Tamescamengs, 

Tctt'S  de  bovde, 

Nation  du  Castor, 

Tetes  plates, 

Octotates, 

Aiouez, 

Sothoues, 

Kappas. 


It  is  highly  probable  that  duplicates  occur  in  this  list.     Montagnez,  for  eX' 
dinple,  may  mean  the  same  as  Montagnais,  &c. 


236 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF  NORTH  AMERICA, 


and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  But  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  all 
these  gri'ut  families  are  radically  different  one  from  another.  Further 
investigations  may  exhibit  resemblances  not  yet  discovered,  and 
reduce  to  cognate  dialects,  languages  now  supposed  to  be  radically 
dissimilar. 

This  great  diversity  of  speech  among  a  race  of  men  presenting, 
in  other  respects,  features  almost  identical,  is  a  subject  of  curious 
and  inlercsting  speculation.  Every  one  who  has  surveyed  the  In- 
dians must  have  been  struck  with  the  general  resemblance  they 
bear  to  one  another.  In  all  those  physical  charact(!ristics  which 
divide  them  from  the  other  great  branches  of  the  human  family, 
they  form  one  peojile.  The  facial  angle  is  the  same,  and  so  are  the 
color,  general  stature,  form  of  the  face,  appearance,  and  color  of  the 
eyes,  and  the  common  impression  which  is  matle,  by  the  whole, 
upon  the  spectator.  These  facts  indicate  a  common  origin.  But 
we  find,  among  a  people  occupying  the  same  general  region,  and 
with  similar  habits  and  modes  of  life,  and  unbroken  communication, 
eleven  languages,  among  which  no  verbal  resemblance  ha.s  been  dis- 
covered. And  yet,  as  far  as  we  are  acquainted  with  them,  one  com- 
mon principle  of  construction  pervades  the  whole.  Whence  this 
unity  of  form  and  diversity  of  expression  ?  Are  they  to  be  traced 
to  the  facility  with  which  the  words  of  unwritten  languages  are 
changed,  and  to  the  tenacity  with  which  we  adhere  to  the  process 
by  whi(5h  our  ideas  are  formed  and  disclosed  ?  If  so,  these  lan- 
guages liave  descended  from  a  common  origin,  and  the  tribes  must 
have  separated  one  from  another  at  periods  more  or  less  remote,  as 
their  dialects  approach,  or  recede  from,  one  another.  But  this  con- 
jecture does  not  accord  with  tiie  local  relations  and  established 
intercourse  between  many  of  the  tribes.  Some  of  those  speaking 
languages  radically  different,  live,  and  have  lived  for  ages,  in  jux- 
taposition, and  the  most  confidential  relations  have  been  established 
among  them.  This  is  particularly  the  case  with  the  Winnebagoes, 
speaking  a  dialect  of  the  Sioux  stock,  and  the  Menomines,  speaking 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


287 


:i  dialect  of  tlio  Algonquin  stock;  and  such  is  ulso  tlic  case  witli 
lliu  llurons,  or  Wyundots,  and  the  Ottawus.  And  it  is  well  known 
that  the  Shawauesc,  whose  language  is  similar  to  that  spoken  by 
tlio  Kickapoo,  and  other  northern  tribes,  emigrated  from  the  South, 
and  were,  when  they  became  first  known  to  the  Europeans,  pliintcd 
among  the  Creeks  upon  tlu;  streams  llowing  through  Florida.  Tin- 
patronymic  appellations  used  by  the  various  tribes  indicate  a  con- 
nection very  different  from  that  which  wc  should  bo  led  to  deduce 
from  a  comparison  of  their  dialects.  Wc  cannot  trace  these  claims 
of  affuiity  to  any  known  source ;  but,  like  many  usages  which  have 
survived  the  causes  that  gave  birth  to  them,  they  were  doubtless 
founded  upon  established  relations  existing  at  the  time.  The  AN  y- 
andots  claim  to  be  the  uncle  of  all  the  other  tribes  ;  and  the  Dela- 
wares  to  be  the  grandfather.  But  the  Delawarcs  acknowledge 
tiicmsclves  to  be  the  nephew  of  the  Wyandots,  and  tliese  two  tribes 
speak  languages  which  have  not  the  most  remote  resemblance. 
Whether  we  shall  ever  be  able  to  settle  these  (piestions  is  doubtful. 
At  any  rate,  we  can  only  hope  to  do  it  by  observation,  and  by  a  rigid 
abstinence  from  idle  speculations  until  our  collection  of  facts  shall 
be  greatly  enlarged. 

In  looking  back  upon  the  condition  of  the  Indians  previously  to 
the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  and  to  this  introduction  of  their  manu- 
factures aniong  them,  we  shall  find  that  lie  who  "  tempers  the  A\-ind 
to  the  shorn  lamb"  had  provided  them  with  means  of  subsistence, 
and  sources  of  enjoyment  suited  to  their  situation  and  wants.  They 
Were  divided,  as  we  have  seen,  into  many  different  tribes,  subdivided 
into  various  bands  or  families.  This  subdivision  was  an  important 
branch  of  Indian  polity.  It  would  be  idle  to  recount  the  traditions 
respecting  the  origin  and  objects  of  this  institution.  We  must  be 
satisfied  with  surveying  them,  as  they  are,  or  rather  as  they  were, 
leaving  the  causes  which  induced  them,  whether  accidental  or  de- 
signed, among  the  mysteries  of  the  fabulous  period  of  their  history. 

The  number  of  these  bands  among  the  various  tribes  was  differ- 


238 


IN'r)IAN    TRIHKS    OF   NORTH    AMKRIC'A. 


onl,  and  pciiiaps  iiulcliiiitp.  'I'lioy  usually  oxUtkIciI,  liowever, 
from  five  or  .six,  to  Uvclvo  or  fil'tciMi.  Eadi  liad  a  di.stiiict  uppella- 
live,  derived  frotn  some  familiar  animal,  as  the  Bear  tribe,  &e. ; 
and  the  figure  of  the  animal  giving  name  to  the  tribe  became  the 
lolem,  or  armorial  bearing  of  every  individual  belonging  tlierelo. 
When  it  beciime  necessary  to  identify  a  person  in  any  of  their  rude 
drawings,  or  to  allix  his  mark  to  any  instrument  prepared  by  the 
white  man,  his  totem  was  lirst  made,  and  then  any  particular  cha- 
racteristic added  which  might  apply  individually  to  him.  The 
animal  itself,  thus  selected  for  a  manitou,  or  guardian  spirit,  or  at 
h'ast  certain  parts  of  it,  were  not  used  for  food  by  any  of  tlu;  tribe, 
althougli  frc(^  for  any  other  person.  All  those  belonging  to  the  same 
tribe  were  considcrt'd  as  near  relations,  and  intermarriage  among 
tliem  was  strictly  prohibited.  Among  some  of  these  Indian  com- 
munities, th(^  village  or  peace  chiefs  of  one  tribe  were  chosen  by  the 
otlicr  trilu's;  anil  these  subdivisions  hail  an  important  operation 
ujion  tlicir  government  and  institutions. 

In  the  autumn,  when  the  llesh  and  furs  of  the  animals  used  by  the 
Indians,  became  in  season,  the  various  bands  or  families  se])arated, 
and  re|)aired  to  their  proper  districts  for  hunting.  Huts  were  erected 
of  l)ark,  or  logs,  in  favorable  and  sheltered  situations,  and  here  the 
families  resided,  the  ditferent  individuals  following  their  respective 
employnu'iits.  The  men  devoted  themselves  to  the  chase,  with 
zeal  and  assiduity.  And  while  the  game  was  abundant,  they  pro- 
vided a  .surplus,  which  in  cold  weather  was  preserved  by  freezing, 
and  in  modenite  weather  by  drying  or  jerking  it.  No  man  was 
excused  from  this  first  and  great  duty.  Boys  were  anxious  to  be- 
come hunters,  and  old  men  to  remain  hunters.  The  pride  of  both 
was  enlisted,  for  both  were  despised,  if  unequal  to  the  task. 

\N  ith  the  necessary  supply  of  food,  however,  the  labor  of  the 
men  ceased.  All  other  duties  devolved  on  the  women.  These,  as 
may  well  b(>  su])posed,  were  arduous  enough.  Such  has  always 
been  the  fate  of  the  weaker  sex  among  barbarous  tribes,  and  it  was 


in  STORY   or   THE 


280 


probably  novcr  more  st-vcro  tliaii  aiuoiiff  tht;  North  Ainciicaii 
Indians.  Thoy  procured  the  fuel,  which  was  cut.  witii  stone  toma- 
hawks, and  transported  it  to  the  eanips  upon  their  biicks.  Tiiey 
cooked  tlie  provisions,  ih-essed  tlio  skins,  iMa<h'  the  canoes,  and 
perCoriiKMl  all  the  labor  not  directly  connected  with  those  hunlinif 
or  liostihi  excursions  which  constituted  the  occupation  of  \\h'  nien. 
Tn  these  employments,  the  winter  was  j)assed  away,  and  industrious 
and  i)rovi(lent  families  (rcncrnlly  accumulated  a  considerable  stock 
of  dried  meat,  and  a  cpiantity  of  furs  and  skins  sudicient  for  their 
wants  durin<f  the  year. 

As  tlic  spring  apjiroached,  the  hunting  cam[)s  were  evacuated, 
and  the  various  families  collected  together  in  their  villa<,fes.  'i'heso 
were  generally  situated  upon  small  streams,  where  the  land  was  of 
tlio  best  quality.  Here  corn  was  iilantcd,  rudely,  iuid  in  small  quanti- 
ties, but  still  enough  to  supply  them  with  food  for  a  short  time  in  tlie 
latter  part  of  the  summer,  and  the  beginning  of  autumn.  The  corn 
was  cultivated  entirely  by  the  women.  Indelible  disgrace  would 
liave  attached  to  the  warrior  who  could  so  far  forget  iiimself  as  to 
aid  in  th(!  performance  of  this,  or  any  other  duty  re(puring  manual 
labor.  As  thoy  had  no  domestic  animals,  no  fences  were  necessary; 
and  the  rude  instruments  then  in  nse  allow(>d  them  to  do  little  more 
than  plant  and  cover  the  seed. 

This  was  the  principal  sca.son  for  amusements,  for  bu  uness,  and 
for  warlike  expeditions.  Their  whole  population  was  brougiii  io- 
gether.  Days  and  nights  were  frerpicntly  devoted  to  fea.sts,  to  dances, 
and  athletic  games.  The  young  men  were  engaged  in  these  pas- 
times, and  the  others  in  the  discussion  and  consideration  of  aR'airs 
involving  the  general  interest  or  security.  DitHculties  and  feuds  in 
llie  tribe  were  terminated.  If  war  existed,  it  was  prosecuted  with 
vigor,  oi"  proposals  for  peace  were  made  or  received.  These  few 
months  formed,  indeed,  the  social  life  of  the  Indian.  At  all  other 
periods,  he  was  a  solitary  animal,  engaged,  like  most  other  animals, 
m  the  great  duty  of  self-preservation. 


240 


INDIAN   TRIBKS   OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


It  is  easy  to  conceive  that  this  amuial  round  of  employment 
might  be  occasionally  interrupted — it,  no  doubt,  was  so.  A  suc- 
cessful or  a  disastrous  war  changed  es^entially  the  condition  of  a 
tribe,  stiin\dating  or  depressing  them.  An  unfavorable  season  for 
h  intinii  increased  the  labor  of  the  men,  and  ailded  to  the  privations 
<ii' their  families.  There  can  bo  little  doubt,  also,  that  all  tribes,  be- 
fore the  discovery,  lived  in  a  stale  of  great  insecurity.  No  fact  in 
their  whole  histor}  is  better  established  than  the  universal  j)reva- 
lejice  of  war  amorg  them;  and  their  wars  were  too  often  wars 
ad  vtterneciouem.  They  fought,  like  the  animals  around  them,  to 
destroy,  and  not  to  subdue.  The  war-llag  wtis  always  flying,  and 
the  war-drum  sounding.  Their  villages  were  generally  enclosed 
with  palisades,  composed  of  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees,  burnt  at 
tlie  proper  Icngtli,  and  secured,  not  by  being  placed  in  a  ditch,  but 
by  having  earlii  carried  and  deposited  against  them.  This  earth 
was  doubtless  taken  from  die  soil  around,  equally,  and  not  by 
making  iioles,  (because  in  these  an  enemy  could  shelter  himself,) 
and  was  carried  to  the  place  of  deposit  by  tlip  squaws  in  skins. 
And  in  ihis  way,  by  an  aci  uinidation  of  earth  for  a  succession  of 
ages,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  earthen  parapets,  which  so  often 
strike  the  traveller  with  wonder  in  the  .solitary  forests  of  the  \\'(.'sl, 
have  l)een  formeil.  They  are  certainl}'  monuments  of  aboriginal 
labor,  but  of  labor  expended  for  safety  and  exi.stcnco  during  many 
generatic'is.  In  the  narrative  of  Cartier's  voyage  to  the  St.  Law- 
rence, is  a  minu,  .'..  scription  of  one  of  these  fortified  villages,  occu- 
])ying  the  present  site  of  Montreal,  and  there  called  lluchdagu. 
Tiie  process  of  attack  and  defence  is  slated,  anil  the  whole  corre- 
sponds with  the  accotint  we  have  given,  and  with  all  wc  know  of 
the  manners  and  condition  of  the  Indians. 

Their  gov  .ninent  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  essentially  a  govern 
meat  of  opinion.  It  is  not  prol)able  that  any  |)unishments  were 
ever  judicially  aflixed  to  crimes.  But  their  circumstances  were 
such,  that  few  crimes  could  be  committed.     Ardent  .spirits,  the 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


241 


bane  of  civili/xJ  and  of  savage  life,  were  unknown  amonjf  tliein. 
No  faels  have  ooino  down  to  us  indicating  that  any  intoxicating 
li(lii()r  was  ever  used  Ijy  them ;  consequently,  their  passions  were 
never  excit  'd  or  inllanied,  as  they  now  are,  liy  tiiis  destructive 
liai)il.  Of  real  propert}'  they  had  none — for  theirs  was  a  perpetual 
conuunnity  in  the  possession  of  their  lauds;  and  their  personal 
property  was  of  very  trilling  value,  consisting  of  little  more  than 
the  skins  ui  wiiicii  they  were  clothed  There  were  no  motives, 
therefore,  to  violate  the  rights  of  property,  and  few  to  disturlj  tiie 
rights  of  persons  Murder  was  almost  the  only  olFence  which,  by 
universal  consent,  was  followed  by  i)\niishment ;  and  this  punisli- 
ment,  if  such  it  can  l)e  called,  was  the  right  which  the  friends  of  the 
deceased  person  possessed  to  take  the  life  of  the  olTender,  or  to  com- 
mute, by  receivin<r  some  valual)le  article. 

Each  tribe  had  twd  des<;riptions  of  otficers,  performing  diflerent 
duties,  and  acting  itideoendent  of  each  other.  The  village,  or 
peace  cliitrs,  direcled  tlie  civil  concerns  of  the  government.  They 
were  usu  dly  lieredittny,  or  elected  from  particular  families. 
Among  some  of  th,'  tribes,  the  descent  was  in  the  direct  line  from 
father  to  son  ;  amonu;  otiiers,  it  was  in  the  collateral  line,  from  the 
uncle  to  llu'  nepliew — tiie  .•^on  of  his  sister — and  where  this  was  the 
case,  tlii^  reason  gi\(  n  was  to  insure  the  succession  to  the  blood  of 
the  fu'st  chief,  \vliicli  (il)|ect  was  certainly  attained  by  selecting  the 
sister's  son  to  succeed  each  cliief.  Women  were  sometimes,  but 
not  often,  eligilile  to  aulhoritv.  .Ml  the.se  eh  ■  tions  and  successions 
were  regulated  bv  establislied  rules,  as  were  the  ceremonials  attend- 
ing them.  The  rank  of  these  chii'fs  was  fi.vcd,  and  generall\-  one 
if  them  was  the  acknow  ledgeil  head  of  the  tribe,  and  tli  •  otiiers 
were  Ids  counsellors.  The  e<ternal  form  o(  \\h'  governn.cnt  was 
a''bitrary,  but  in  its  practical  operation  it  was  a  di-mc  racy.  \o 
question  was  decided  bnl  upon  fidl  discu.><sitin  !Uid  deliberation 
among  the  chiefs,  and  doul)tless  the  pultlie   opinion    prodnced    its 

•■ireel  upon  them.     Tiiese  chiefs  adjusted  any  disputes  exi.sting 
81 


212 


INDIAN  TRIBES   OF  NORTH   AMERICA 


amonir  tlio  indiviiluiils  or  fainilies  of  the  tribe ;  ;issii,nicil  to  all  tlioir 
proper  lmntiii<f  districts;  received  and  traiismittcd  messages  from 
and  to  other  tribes;  conducted  and  controlled  their -groat  fciusts  and 
religious  festivals,  and  concluded  peace. 

But  with  the  declaration  of  war  terminated  these  duties,  and  all 
the  authority  o'  these  conscript  fathers.  Like  the  decree  of  the 
Roman  senate,  which  declared  the  republic  in  danger  and  prostrated 
all  other  power  before  the  dictator,  the  commenceinent  of  hostilities 
suspend«'(l  all  die  autliority  of  the  village  chiefs,  and  sul)stiluted 
that  of  the  war  cliiefs.  In  the  selection  of  these  warriors,  the  acci- 
dent of  birth  had  no  intluence.  Reckless  valor ;  tiie  al)ilily  to  do 
and  to  sud'er;  the  power  to  lead  and  command,  all  proved  and  dis- 
played in  many  a  bloody  combat,  coidd  alone  elevate  an  Indian  to 
the  command  ol'  ids  countrymen,  which  thgnity  conlern-d  Httle  else 
than  the  riulit  to  lead,  and  to  be  the  (irst  in  every  desperate  enter- 
prise. Tbcir  tactics  embraced  no  combination  of  movement,  iiono 
of  that  system  of  manreuvres  which  teaches  every  condialant  tliat 
he  is  a  part  of  a  great  machine,  ruled  and  regulated  by  one  picsiding 
spirit,  'riieir  liattles,  lilve  tho.s(>  descrilied  liy  Homer,  were  single 
combats,  ni  which  physical  force  and  courage  prevailed. 

It  is  not  easv  to  i"  »rt:ii'i  their  mytlioloifical  opinions,  or  their 
religious  doctrines.  Abii.ist  all  the?  trilics  have  been  more  or  less 
the  objects  of  instruction  by  the  missionaries  sent  amout;  them  by 
various  reliirions  societies,  established  among  the  (,'liristi;m  imtioiis 
who  have  planted  colonies  on  tlu;  continent,  'i'lie  elVert  ol'tlic  doc- 
trines tauglit  by  llit.'se  missionaries  upon  the  traditions  and  opinions 
of  the  Indians  is  visilile;  and  it  is  dillicult  tn  separate  what  they 
hav(^  thus  I'ei'eiveci  frnm  what  tiiey  l.:i\e  imieritcd  fmrn  their  fore- 
fathers. Notlnu'j;  can  be  more  crude  than  tliese  Cildes  and  imtions. 
which  are  certaiidv  their  own,  and  wliieh  ((institute  tlieir  sxslein 
of  thcdloov.  'I'liev  pmltably  had  an  indistinct  idea  (if  a  i'lilnie 
e.xistence  ;  lait  it  was  deulitful,  shaddwy,  unpreducliM'.  \\\r  tnere 
wreck  of  a  revelation  made  in  the  early  ages  of  the  world,  adiiered 


HISTORY  OF  THE 


243 


to  without  knowledge,  and  witliout  hope.  Every  object  in  nature 
had  a  faniiHar  spirit,  some  for  good  and  some  for  evil.  And  tlie 
Creator,  in  their  view,  seems  to  have  been  a  gigantic,  undefined 
Ijeing,  contending  with  the  Cicments,  sometimes  subtluing,  and 
sometimes  subcbied  by  tliem. 

It  is  impossil)h'  to  reconcile  the  inconsistent  opinions  of  his  power 
and  other  attributes,  to  be  deduced  from  the  traditionary  f;ibles 
which  they  repeat  and  believe.  Under  the  name  Nanibiijo,  or  some 
similar  appellative,  he  is  known  to  the  tribes  of  the  Algonrpiin  stock ; 
and  the  idlest  and  wildest  tales  arc  told  of  his  prowess  and  contests, 
sometimes  with  the  deluge,  whi(-h  seems  to  form  an  era  in  all  tra- 
ditions, and  sometimes  with  the  imaginary  animals  with  which  the 
water  and  the  land  were  filled.*  We  feel  no  disposition  to  repeat 
these  stories  here.  They  would  scarcely  serve  the  purpose  of 
junusing  the  reiuler,  and  only  add  to  the  many  existing  proofs  of  the 
folly  to  which  man  is  prone  in  an  unenlightened  state. 

The  intellectual  accpiirements  of  the  Luhans  were  as  low  as  they 
are  recorded  to  have  been  among  any  people  on  the  face  of  the 
eartli.  They  had  no  letters  and  no  learning.  Not  the  slightest 
ruiliments  of  a  single  science  were  known  among  them  The  sun, 
and  moon,  and  stars,  were  balls  of  light  set  in  the  L  ns  The 
earth  wa.s  an  island.  Their  pathology  referred  every  ai.^urdir  lo  a 
spirit  which  was  to  be  driven  out  by  the  noise  and  incantatioii,>  ol 
the  jugglers,  which  constituted  their  whole  medical  science.  Their 
arithmetic  enabled  them  to  count  to  a  hundred,  and  here,  gem  rally, 
their  power  over  nund)ers  ceased.  Their  arts  consisted  in  making 
a  bow  and  arrow  and  canoe,  and  in  taking  their  game  upon  the  laud 
and  in  the  water.  We  presume  there  was  scarcely  an  Indian  on 
the  continent  who  could  comprehend  an  abstract  id(^a,  and  at  this 
dav  the  process  is  neither  common  nor  ciusy.  The  great  business 
of  tlieir  Uves  was  to  procure  food,  and  devour  it;  and  to  subdue 
>heir  enemies,  and  scalp  them. 

•  See  MiKenncy's  Tour  to  the  Lakes,  pp.  302,  3,  4,  5,  &,c. 


241 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF   NORTH  AMERICA. 


Such,  in  goncnil,  ^vi^s  tlic  condition  of  llie  Indians  when  llio 
EiiiM'icaiis  arrived  amon^  tlicni.  Tlicir  sources  of  enjoyment  wore 
few  and  simple,  and  it  is  possible,  notwithstanding'  tlu;  state  of  their 
society  was  such  as  we  have  dijpicted  it,  tli;vt  tliey  enjoyetl  some 
|)ro|)ortion  of  ha})[)iness.  Why  they  had  advanced  so  littler  in  all 
tliat  coustitutes  tlie  protrrcss  of  socictv,  it  is  not  easy  to  conjecliu'e. 
'The  (piestion  presents  one  of  the  most  diflicult  problems  to  be  found 
in  tiit^  whole  history  of  mankind.  Here  was  a  people  in  the  rudest 
condition,  knowinij  notliinix,  and  attentive  to  nothing;  but  their 
]»hysical  wants;  without  metallic  instruments,  agriculture,  manu- 
factures, or  education  ;  and  with  tlie  means  only  of  supplying  their 
most  indispensable  animal  necessities.  Such,  doubtless,  had  been 
their  condition  for  aues.  It  certainly  could  not  have  been  worse  at 
any  period  of  their  jirevious  history  ;  if  it  had  been,  they  must  have 
been  more  hi'li)less  than  the  animals  iround  them,  and  from  entire 
improvidence,  and  the  al)sence  of  power  to  protect  and  ])erp(^tuate 
existence,  have  becouK  extinct. 

What  then  prevented  their  advancement?  Why  was  experience 
lost  upon  them?  Knowing  that  tlie  alternations  of  tiie  seasons  would 
briny  with  them  abundance  and  scarcity,  why  did  thev  not  provide 
liir  the  one  when  thev  |)ossessed  the  other?  The  accumulation  of 
knowledge  forms  the  distiniiuishiiiir  characteristic  between  men  and 
brutes.  The  boMiidarv  which  divides  reason  and  instinct  is  not 
always  uell  defined,  nor  easily  asccrt-iiiied.  Indeed,  who  cm 
determine  where  instinct  terminates  and  reason  beLniis  '  In  soiiiti 
import  lilt  respects,  instinct  is  a  less  fallibh  guide!  than  reason.  Hut 
as  instinct  was  at  the  creation,  so  it  is  imw .  It  exerts  the  same 
iiilliieiice  over  the  same  varieties  of  living  beiiiirs.  and  under  the 
s  line  modifications  now  as  heretofore  :  whereas  rea.soii  is  now,  and 
has  always  been,  susceptible  of  indefinite,  perliaps  infmile.  iniprove- 
meiit.  The  treasures  of  kiiowled<re  accumulated  bv  those  u  lio  have 
gone  before  us  have  descended  to  us.  Their  experience  has  become 
our  experience,  and  we  are  taught  by  it  what  to  embrace  and  what 


HISTORY   OV   THE 


245 


to  avoid.  ]3ut  of  all  this  tlio  iilHirJoiual  iiiliahitniits  of  America 
cxiiibited  no  oxaini)k'.  Thoy  were  stationary,  looking  n|)on  life  as 
a  scene  of  physical  exertion,  witlioiit  improvinir,  or  a11(  inptin^-  to 
iini.rovo.  Witii  tlu;  exception  of  the  half-civilized  empires  of 
.Nfexicoand  Peru — the  condition  and  improvemiMit  of  which,  we  are 
satisfied,  wore  jrrossly  cxagLrerated  l.y  the  early  adventnnrs— all  tho 
])rimitive  inhabitants,  from  the  Straits  of  .Mauvllan  to  Ilndson's  ]}a\-, 
were  in  this  static  of  iielplcss  ignorance  and  imbecility.  AMietlier 
th(>y  inhabitcnl  the;  mild  and  genial  climates,  were  burned  by  the 
vertical  snn  of  the  tropics,  or  by  a  still  harder  fiite  were  condemned 
to  the  bleak  and  sterile  regions  of  the  north,  all  were  e(|nally  station- 
ary and  improvident.  Ages  passed  by,  and  made  no  impression 
upon  them.  The  experience  of  the  past,  and  tlie  aspiration  of  the 
lutnre,  were  alike  unheeded.  Their  existence  was  conlined  to  the 
present.  We  confess  onr  inability  to  explain  this  enigma,  and  we 
leave  it  without  further  olwervation. 

Their  previous  history  and  |)rogre.ss  arc  utterly  lost— lost  in  that 
long  interval  of  darkness  which  precedes  authentic  history  amongst 
all  n;iti.)ns— it  rest.s,  and  prol)ably  will  ever  rest,  upon  the  Indians. 

In  w  hat  direction  the  current  of  emigration  traversed  the  conti- 
I'.cnt,  and  when  and  where  it  sent  out  its  lateral  l)ranches  to  form 
(listin(;t  communities,  and  eventually  to  speak  dillerent  languages, 
we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining.  Some  of  the  Indian  traditions 
refer  to  an  eastern,  and  some  to  a  western  origin ;  but  most  of  tho 
trilu's  trace  their  descent  to  the  soil  they  iidiabit,  and  believe  their 
ancestors  emerged  from  the  earth.  Nothing  can  be  more  uncertain, 
and  more  unworthy,  we  will  not  say  of  credit,  but  of  consideration, 
than  tl)eir  earlier  traditions ;  and  probably  there  is  not  a  single  fact 
in  all  their  history,  supported  by  satisfactory  evidence,  which  oc- 
currt!d  half  a  century  i)revio\is  to  the  establishment  of  the  Euro- 
peans. It  is  well  known  that  important  incidents  are  communicated, 
and  their  remendirance  preserved,  by  belts  of  wampum  formed  of 
strings  of  beads  originally  made  of  white  clay,  in  a  rude  maimer, 


2K} 


INDIAN  TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA, 


by  lliiMTisolvos,  l)ut  now  niniiufiicltirod  for  tliom  from  shells.  Thoso 
beads  were  variously  colored,  and  so  arranj^cd  as  to  bear  a  distant 
resemblance  to  the  objects  intended  to  be  delineated.  The  belts 
were  particularly  devoted  to  the  preservation  of  speeches,  the  jiro- 
cecdinirs  of  councils,  and  the  formation  of  treaties.  One  of  the 
principal  counsellors  was  the  custos  rotidontm  ;  and  it  was  his  duty 
to  repeat,  from  time  to  time,  the  spe(>ches  and  narratives  connected 
with  these  Ix'lts,  to  impress  them  fully  upon  his  memory,  and  to 
transmit  them  to  liis  successor.  At  a  certain  season  every  year, 
they  were  taken  from  their  places  of  deposit,  and  ex'iKised  to  the 
whol !  tril)e,  while  the  history  of  each  was  publicly  recited.  It  is 
ol)vio\is  that,  by  the  2irinci])les  of  association,  these  belts  wf)uld 
enable  those  whose  duty  it  was  to  [jreserve,  with  more  c(H"tainty 
and  facility,  the  traditionary  narratives;  and  they  were  memorials 
of  the  events  themselves,  like  the  sacred  relics  which  the  Jews  were 
directed  to  deposit  in  the  ark  of  the  covenant.  IIow  far  the  inter- 
course between  the  various  tri1)es  extended,  cannot  be  known. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  victorious  Iroquois  carried  their 
arms  to  Mexico.  It  has  been  stated  by  Mr.  Stickney,  an  intelli- 
gent ob.server,  well  acquaint;!d  with  the  Indians  (having  been 
formerly  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Wayne),  that  he  once  saw  a  very 
ancient  belt  among  the  Wyandots,  which  they  told  him  had  come 
from  1  u"gc  Indian  nation  in  the  south-west.  At  the  time  of  its 
reception,  as  ever  since,  the  Wyandots  were  the  leading  tribe  in 
this  quarter  of  the  continent.  Placed  at  the  head  of  the  great 
Indian  conmionwealth  by  circumstances  which  even  their  tradition 
docs  not  record,  they  held  the  great  council  fire,  and  possessed  the 
right  of  convcming  the  various  tribes  around  it,  whenever  any 
important  occurrence  required  general  delil)eration.  This  belt  had 
been  specially  transmitted  to  them,  and  from  the  attendant  circum- 
stances and  acconipanyinfr  narrative,  Mr.  Sticknev  had  no  doubt 
that  it  \\as  sent  l)y  the  Mexican  enq)eror,  at  the  period  of  the  inva- 
sion of  that  country  by  Cortez.     The  speech  stated,  in  substance, 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


247 


that  a  now  aiul  straiisro  animal  liad  ajipcarcd  upon  the  coast,  dn- 
st'rWnnir  hiin,  W.a'.  the;  lal)li'il  fciitaiirs  of  aiiti(|iiity,  as  part  niuu  and 
part  ((uadnipcd  ;  and  ad(lin<,r  tliat  ho  ooniniandi'd  llio  thnndor  and 
liifhtnin<r.  Tlic  objoct  soomod  to  bo  to  put  tlio  Indians  on  thoir 
guard  against  this  torriljlo  monster,  wherever  he  miglit  appear. 

Could  a  colloctiou  of  those  ancient  belts  bo  now  mode,  and  the 
accompanying  narratives  recorded.,  il  would  alFord  curious  and 
iiitorosting  materials,  reflecting,  no  doubt,  much  light  upon  the 
former  situation  and  history  of  the  Indians.  But  it  is  vahi  to 
expect  such  a  discover}'.  In  the  mutations  and  migrations  of  the 
various  tribes,  misfortunes  have  pres.sod  so  heavily  upon  them,  that 
lliey  have  been  unable  to  pn'servo  their  people  or  their  country, 
much  less  the  memorials  of  their  former  power.  Tiie.so  have 
|)i'rished  in  the  general  wreck  of  their  fortunes — lost,  as  have  been 
llic  sites  of  their  council  fires,  and  tiie  graves  of  their  fathers. 

When  the  French  first  entered  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  L'rcat  war 
hid  commenced  between  the  Wyandots  and  the  Iroipiois,  which 
liTinintited  in  the  entire  discomfiture  of  \\iv.  lormer,  and  produced 
important  ellccts  upon  all  tlie  tribes  within  the  sphere  of  its  opera- 
tion. The  origin  of  this  war  is  variously  related ;  but  the  more 
|ii-ol);ible  account  refers  it  to  the  m.irderof  a  small  party  of  Iroquois 
hunters  l)y  some  of  the  3'oung  Wyandots,  j(>alous  of  tlieir  success. 
Previous  to  this  event,  the  Iroipiois  had  been  rebidied  by  the 
siipi-rior  genius  and  fortnnt^  of  their  rivals,  and  lived  peacealtly  in 
their  vi(Mnity,  without  competition,  if  not  without  euvv,  and  devoting 
themselves  to  the  chase.  Tiiis  unprovoked  outrage  roused  tlieir 
resentment,  and,  finding  that  no  satisfaction  could  be  obtained,  tliat 
their  representations  were  slighted,  and  tlicmsclves  treated  with 
scorn,  they  took  up  arms.  No  contest  at  its  I'ommencemeiit  could 
have  appeared  more  hopeless.  Experience,  character,  iiilluence, 
numbers,  all  were  in  favor  of  their  enemies.  And  yet  this  war, 
(•(iiu'iienced  under  such  inauspicious  circumstanci-s,  ended  in  the 
litter  j)rostration,  and  almost  in  the  extinction,  of  the  Wyandots, 


248 


INDIAN   Tin  BIOS   01'    NORTH   A.MKIUCA, 


ent  lilcd  upon  them  a  series  of  cahiinities  unexampled  in  any  history, 
and  elevated  the  Irof|ii(iis  to  the  suniiiiit  of  al)oriirinal  power  and 
finne.  It  proihieed,  also,  tlie  most  important  eonse(pieiiees  upon  the 
wliole  course  of  Indian  events  durin<|  more  than  a  eentury  of  despe- 
rate valor  and  enterprise.  Little  did  they  think,  who  commenced 
this  war  with  arrows  puinted  with  flints,  and  with  war-clubs  rudely 
made  from  the  hard  knots  of  trees,  that  before  its  termination  a  new 
rae(!  of  men  would  arrive  amonj^  them,  destined  to  exert  a  final  and 
decisive  inllueiiee  upon  llieir  fate,  and  briie^inu;  with  them  new 
wetipoiis,  terrific  in  their  ;ippearance  and  sound,  and  more  terrible 
still  by  iheir  invisible  oj)  lation  and  bloody  elVeets. 

In  tlie  sunlight  of  tli  ■  IncHan  condition,  tiieri- were  redeeming 
circumstiuices  which  did  nuich  to  balance  the  evil  resulting  from 
their  peculiar  condition  and  institutions.  Their  solenui  assemblies 
and  gravi!  deliijerations  anmnd  their  council  fires  presented  imposing 
spectacles.  From  some  of  the  facts  incidentally  stated  by  the  early 
French  historians,  it  is  i)bvious  that  the  chiefs  were  then  treated 
witli  nnich  more  respect  than  is  now  paid  liiem.  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  young  hunters  to  provide  them  witli  the  lood  and  furs  neces- 
sary for  the  sup[)ort  and  <■[.,  Iiing  of  their  families.  It  was,  in  fact, 
a  tax  levied  under  the  conciliatoiy  name  of  present.  The  sieur 
I'ernit.  wiio  was  sent  in  Hi?  I  with  messages  from  the  Govcrnor- 
general  of  Canada  to  many  of  the  wc.-itern  Irilies,  states  that  tlic 
great  chief  of  the  Miamies  then  lived  at  Chicauo,  upon  Lake  Michi- 
gan. That  he  was  coiistanlly  attended  bv  a  tniard  of  fi>rtv  young 
warriors,  as  well  for  si  ite  as  for  security,  and  the  c(>remonies  of  intro- 
duction to  him  were  un-ave  and  im[)osing.  All  this  evinces  the 
consideration  then  attaclied  to  the  chiels,  which  gave  to  them  mucli 
personal  influence,  and  to  their  opinions  much  weight  and  authority 
This  deference  served  to  counteract  the  democratic  tendency  of 
tiieir  institutions,  :ind  operated  in  the  same  manner  as  the  more 
artificial  checks  in  civilized  governments.  -Age,  and  wi.sdom,  and 
experience,   were  thus  protected  from  rude  interruption,  and  the 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


210 


rasliiioss  of  youth,  as  wdl  as  from  tliosc  sudden  ttMiippsts  of  passion, 
to  which  thny  aro  as  cjisily  exposed  as  tlieir  own  lalies  to  tlie  tem- 
pests that  sweep  over  tliein. 

In  comparintj  the  present  situation  of  the  Indians  witli  tlicir  con- 
dition heforo  the  discovery,  great  allowances  must  he  miikIc  for  1  lie 
changes  which  have  been  prod\u"ed,  and  fm"  their  ir(>Meral  deteriora- 
tion ill  manners,  in  morals,  and  in  extrinsic  circuiiistauces.  'I'liere 
are,  and  no  doulit  always  have  been,  radical  defects  in  their  inslilir 
tioiis — defects  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  which  have  made  tlicm  a 
phenomenon  among  the  human  family.  That  there  are  varieties  in 
the  human  race,  is  .:i  j)hysiological  truth  wiiich  will  not  Ik;  cpies- 
tioiied.  The  controversy  begins  only  when  the  caiist>s  of  this 
diversity  an;  investigated,  and  their  extent  and  efl'ects  are  estimated. 
This  wide  field  of  discussion  we  shall  not  enter.  And  it  must  be 
l(!ft  to  future  inipiiri'rs  to  iuscertaiu  whether  the  physical  diiTerences 
so  obviou.sly  disccu'iiible  in  compiri.sons  bi^tween  the  Caucasian, 
Mongolian,  Ethiopian,  Malay,  and  other  varieties,  are  the  cause  or 
the  conse(|uence  of  the  peculiar  moral  characteristics  by  which  tlie 
varioiis  races  of  men  are  distinguished. 

The  aboriginal  iniiabitants  of  America  are  marked  bv  external 
fe;itures  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  which  di.stingnish  them  from 
iill  the  otiier  desceiidaiils  of  Adam.  'I'hev  are  marked,  too,  bv 
peculiar  oj)iiiioiis,  iial)ils,  manners,  and  institutions.  The  elVect  of 
the  coming  of  the  Kiiropeiuis  among  them  cannot  be  doiilUed. 
Then'  have  diminished  in  numbers,  deti'riorated  in  morals,  and  lost 
all  the  most  promiiunt  and  striking  traits  of  their  ciiaracter.  It 
were  vain  to  speculate  now  upon  the  position  they  would  have 
occupied,  had  they  abandoned  their  own  institutions,  and  coalesced 
with  the  strangers  who  came  among  them. 

But  these  more  general  observations  can  give  but  an  indefinite 

id(!a  of  the  circumstances  and  .situtilion  of  the  Indians.     We  must 

not  only  survey  them  as  one  people,  possessing  similar  characler 

istics,  hut  we  must  view  them  also  in  detached  groups,  as  they 
a-i 


250 


INDIAN   TIUHKS   OF   NUUTH   A.MKIIICA. 


actually  lived,  ami  oLciipicd  (liirt-rcut  portiouH  of  tlir  omiitry,  oach 
piirsiiiiiif  tlicir  ('(lui'sc  iii(li'|i('ii(lfiit  (if  and  tod  often  at  uar  witli. 
their  nei^iiliors.  Hiit  in  tiiis  ticiiend  sketeli  we  shall  not  alteiiipt 
to  trace  the  iiistory  of  all  the  trilx's  whoso  names  have  come  down 
to  us.  Siii'h  a  task  would  he  alike  liopeless  and  unprofitaijle.  Wo 
shall  confnie  ourselves  1o  the  more  promiiiont  divisions,  whose  pro- 
gress, condition,  and  fate,  are  host  known  to  us. 

'I'lie  trihes  occu|)yin!^  that  jiart  of  the  United  Slates  oast  of  tlio 
Hudson  Uiver,  were  known  to  tiie  other  Indians  under  the  i,fcnoral 
name  of  \V(thi)iiiiihi,  or  men  of  tlie  east.  'I'lu-ir  lanmiatfos  wore 
coifuati!  ditdoets,  hranchos  of  the  Al<^on(|uin  stock,  and  hearin<r  a 
verv  pcrceptii)le  reseml)lancc  to  one  anotlior.  It  cannot  he  douhtod 
that  all  these  trihes  had  one  origin;  and  that  their  so|)ara!ion  into 
distinct  conuuunities  had  taken  phico  at  no  very  remote  period 
vhen  our  ac(piaintance  with  them  iirst  conunenced. 

Heavily  indeed  have  time  ami  circum.stances  pressed  upon  them. 
Thev  inav  idl  Ih'  considered  as  extinct,  for  the  ^v\\  wrdciied  iiidi- 
vi<luals  wiio  survive  have  lost  all  that  v,as  worth  possessing  of  their 
own  character,  without  ac(|uiring  any  thinir  that  is  estimaiile  in 
ours.  As  the  great  destroyer  has  tiuis  lilighled  the  relations  whii'h 
once  existed  lietween  these  Indians  and  our  fordathers,  it  does  not 
fall  within  r)ur  plan  to  review  their  i'oriuer  condition,  and  to  trace 
tile  iiistorv  of  the  numerous  small  hands  inio  u  liich  ihev  ap[)ear  to 
have  heeii  di\ided.  Ijittle  liesides  the  names  of  many  of  them  is 
now  known,  and  tliese  have  pnthaliiy  heen  nndliplied  hy  the  igno- 
rance and  carelessness  of  oliservers  hut  imperfectly  ac(|uain1eil  with 
tluMn.  The  Xarraixansets  and  the  Pecpiods  are  the  two  trilies  witli 
wliose  names  and  deeds  wo  are  most  familiar.  'The  tbrmer  from 
llieir  skill  in  the  manufacture  of  wampum,  earthen  vessels,  and 
other  articles,  oriu'inally  used  by  tlie  Indians;  and  the  latter  from 
their  prowess  in  war,  and  from  the  desperate  resistance  thev  made 
to  the  proijress  of  the  whit(^  men.  'l^heir  principal  cliiei',  known  to 
us  by  the  English  name  Philip,  appears  to  have  been  an  able  and  in 


HIS  TORY  OF   TIIK 


351 


tri|ii(l  man,  conlt'iidiiio-,  inidcr  tlic  most  (liscoiirayiim-  cirriimstJiiiccs. 
iiiraiiiNt  invaders  (if  his  fininlrj  ,  and  jailing  widi  the  lail  of  all  tiiat 
was  dear  to  liim,  wlim  iMrtluu-  rcsistancf  was  iiii|ira(lical)ic.  His 
name,  witli  tlic  names  of  i'ontiai'  and  'reeiimllie,  ami  a  I'ew  others, 
seems  alone  destiniHl  to  survive  the  ohlivion  which  rests  upon  'he 
I'orest  warriors,  and  upon  their  deeds. 

'I'he  Molie;,'ans  oceupied  most  of  the  country  upon  tin;  lludsou 
Hiver,  and  between  that  river  and  llic  Connecticut,  ('onllicting 
accounts  are  <fiven  of  their  languajre  an<l  orit^in ;  but,  since  moro 
accurate  investigations  have  been  maile  into  tlic  goueral  subject  of 
our  Indian  relations,  we  know  that  they  are  a  branch  of  the  Dela- 
ware family,  and  closely  connected  with  the  parent  stocks.  So  far 
as  our  information  extends,  this  was  their  original  country,  for  tiio 
wild  traditions  which  have  been  gnively  recorded  and  repeated, 
respecting  the  migrations  and  fortunes  of  this  great  aboriginal 
family,  an;  unworthy  of  serious  consideration.  A  few  hundreds  of 
this  tribe  are  yet  remaining;  but  they  al)andoned  their  primitive 
seats  many  years  ago,  and  attached  themselves  to  some  of  their 
kindred  bauds.  A  few  of  them  have  pas.sed  the  Mississippi,  and 
others  are  residing  in  Upper  Canada ;  but  the  larger  portion  have 
established  themselves  at  Green  Bay. 

The  Six  Nations,  known  to  the  French  as  the  Iroquois,  and  to 
the  English  as  the  Mingocs,  were  the  most  jiowerful  tribe  of  Indians 
upon  the  continent.  They  originally  occupied  the  couiitrv  north 
of  Lake  Ontario ;  but,  after  the  commencement  of  ho.stilities  between 
them  and  the  Wyandots,  and  their  allies,  the  Algonqiiins,  they 
removed  to  the  south  of  that  lake,  and  established  their  residence  in 
what  is  now  the  western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  At  the 
commenoement  of  this  contest,  thoy  were  so  unequal  to  their  adver- 
saries that  they  withdrew  beyond  the  sphere  of  their  operations,  and 
engaged  in  hostilities  with  the  Shawancse,  then  living  upon  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie.  Their  efforts  were  here  successful, 
and  they  expelled  this  tribe  from  their  country,  and  took  possession. 


INDIAN     I'UIHKS   OF   NORTH    AMKUIC'A. 


lliiilmldcncil  by  siuvrss,  ami  I'.avinif  ac(|iiiivil  t'xpcriciicc  in  war. 
Inmi  wliicli  llu'v  IukI  1<"i^?  rclVaiiifd,  tlicy  tiinicil  tlicir  arms  iiLjaiiist 
tlicir  I'll. 'lilies  to  rcvt'iiyc  tin-  iiijiirics  llicy  liad  rt'ccivcd.  A  Iihil; 
and  liloodv  I'diitcsl  ciisiicd,  and  it  was  raiiinti;  \\lirii  tiic  l^'rcndi 
iircii|iird  till'  liaiilxs  nf  the  St.  I ,a\\  rciH'c.  'I'liry  t(i(ii<  |iart  uilli  tlic 
\\'\'and(its  and  \lui>iii|iiiiis,  and  ( 'liaiii|ilain  accoinpanicd  a  w.w 
party  in  one  of  llicir  {'\|)rdilions,  and  upon  tlie  sliorr  of  tlic  lake 
w  liicli  hears  liis  name.  foiiLflit  a  liattle  witli  tlie  Iroipiois,  and  defeated 
tliein  hy  tlic  use  of  fire-arms,  wliieli  llien  lu'eaine  lirst  known  In 
tliese  al)ori',niU'S.  Unt  the  latter  were  soon  fiiriiislied  with  the 
destriietive  weapon  of  iliiropean  warfare  hy  the  I'.iiiilisli  ami 
Dnicli,  and  their  e;ireer  of  coiKpiest  extended  to  the  Mississippi. 
The  \\'yaiidots  anil  Al^oiKpiiiis  were  almost  exterminated,  and  the 
feehle  remnant  were  compelled  to  .seek  refuse  in  the  .Manitoiiliii 
Islands,  which  line  the  northern  coast  of  LaUc  Huron.  Their 
iiiexoralile  enemies  followed  them  into  these  secluded  retjions,  and 
linallv  compelled  them  to  llee  anion;;  the  Sioux,  then  living  west 
of  Ijake  Superior. 

Dnriny'  almost  a  century,  they  harassed  the  l''reiich  settlenient.s, 
impeded  their  |iroLrress,  and  even  bearded  them  under  the  walls  of 
(inelu'c.  It  has  hecii  tlioiiixht  that  Chiimplain  and  his  successors  in 
authority,  who  controlled  the  destiny  of  New  France,  committed  a 
yreat  political  error  in  ideiitifs  iiitj  their  cause  with  that  of  cither  of 
the  hostile  parties.  But  a  neutral  cour.so  was  impracticahlc.  Aho- 
rmiiial  politics  necesstirily  .associated  with  the  LH'eiit  contest  for 
supremacy,  then  pendini:  between  the  Iroquois  and  their  enemies. 
It  was  the  absorbinir  topic  of  discussion,  and  those  who  were  friendly 
to  one  party  were  of  course  hostile  to  the  other.  Had  the  r'rench 
declined  the  overtures  of  both,  they  would  have  acipiired  the  ccnili- 
dtuice  of  neither,  and  probably  have  furnished  another  proof  of  tlie 
inellicacv  of  teinpori/iiiij^  measures  in  ureat  cpiestions  of  jiulihc 
|)olicv.  They  naturally  attached  themselves  to  those  of  their  own 
inunediate  vicinity,  and  the  others  were  as  naturally  thrown  into 


IIISrOKY   or   TIIK  1'.-,,; 

Mm  arms  of  llu!  I'liiiflisli.  DiiriiiLr  tin;  Iniiir  coiilcst  lictwccii  llicsr 
two  l')iiro|»(;;m  powers  lor  .supremacy  upon  tlio  roii'  iiciil,  tlie  Im- 
ipmis  were  tioiionilly  foiiiid  in  tlio  Hiiglisli  interest,  and  tlie  other 
Irilii's  in  the  Freneli. 

History  fnrnislies  few  examples  of  more  (les|ierale  valor,  moro 
(larinir  enterprise,  or  more  patriotic  devotion,  than  are  found  in  tiiesr 
wars,  llrst  wa'j;ed  l)y  tlie  [roipiois  for  tiiat  revenife  wliicii  tliev  re- 
ij  irded  as  justiet;,  l)ut  afterwards  for  coiKpiest. 

Those  Indians  present  tlie  only  example  of  intimato  union  recorded 
Ml  alMiriirinal  history.  Tliey  consisted  orit,niially  of  five  trihes, 
namely,  the  Mohawls,  the  ()ii(»ith(/f)S,  the  Siiiccr/s,  \]n'  Onrit/ns,  and 
the  (J(ii/i/t/fis.  Al)out  the  year  1717,  the  'Viisidroros  joined  the 
mnfederacy,  and  formed  the  sixth  trilie.  From  this  period,  the  Iro 
ipiois  were  sometimes  known  as  tho  Five  Nations,  and  sometimes 
;is  the  Six  Nations. 

'I.  lie,  orijfiu  of  this  coiifeilcracy  is  unknown  to  us.  It  existed 
viiu  II  diey  hecaiiK!  first  known  to  the  whites.  So  imperfect  were 
the  investit^ations  made  into  these  sulijects,  that  the  [irinciples  of 
their  union  are  but  litth;  \inderstood.  Each  tribe  prob:iblv  iiianatred 
Ms  internal  concerns  independent  of  all  the  others.  But  the  whole 
seemed  to  have  formetl  an  Ami»hictyonip  leajfuc,  in  which  subjects 
of  tfeneral  interest  were  discussed  and  determined.  The  'I'lisca- 
rora  triite  had  occupied  a  portion  of  North  Carolina;  but  thev  b.c  ime 
involved  in  (MlliiMdties  with  the  ])eople  of  that  province,  and,  after  a 
series  of  disasters,  were  compelled  to  ai)andou  it.  Their  lan^uaife 
resiMnl)les  that  spoken  by  the  other  tribes  of  the  confederac}-,  and 
th(MH!  is  little  d()id)t  that  at  some  former  period  thev'  had  been  united 
by  an  intimate  connection,  and  probabi}'  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity. 
They  must  have  separated  from  the  kindred  stock,  and  been  led  b\- 
circ\nnstances,  now  unknown,  to  migrate  to  North  f'arnlina  ;  and 
liicnce  perhaps,  after  a  lapse  of  aixos,  they  were  driven  back  to  their 
ancient  possessions.  Dr.  Williamson  ha.s  ob.served  that  "this 
eiigntion  of  the  Tnscarora  Indians,  and  other  migrations  of  Indian 


2.M 


INDIAN   TUIHKS   (»!•'    NOKill    AMKUKA, 


fril 


ICS,  \vc 


ittfstcfl,  do  not  iii'cord  w  itii  T,or(l  Kiinics's  ol)s('rv!i1ioii 


tli;it  'siiviiircs  sire  rciiiarktililv  attadicd  to  tlicir  ii;ili\c  soil. 


Tl 


icrir 


!irt' 


iriJiiiv  iiistimcfs  in  the  history  of  tlic  Indians  wlicrc  tlicir  |iviini- 


tivf  foniilrv  lias  hccn  ahaiin.iiicd,  and  a  iii'\\'  one  oli'aiiici 


i.v  i; 


ivor 


or  1)\'   pouir.      Tlicsc  iiiiifralions,   liowcvcr.   liavc  seldom,   perhaps 
ne\cr,  lieeii   \olr'itar\ ,  1 'i   the   result   n|'  untoward   eirennistances, 
snl'iiiilted    to  with   ^n'eat    relnctance.      They  are   certainly  far   iVom 
drauinix  in  tpiestion  the  accuracy  of  the  observation  referred  to. 
( )f  this  once  powerful  <-onfederacy.  ahoiit  six  thon.san  !  individuals 


now  reiiiain. 


Ue 


ar"cr  iiortion 


.f  Ih 


ii;".ii  a  reser\alioii 


near 


llntfalo,  in  the  St   1e  of 


New   V 


few 


foun( 


I  in  I 


elin- 


svlvania,  and  some  in  Ohio,  at  (ireen  Ba\,  and  in  Canada. 


The  Di'la wares  were  situated  princijially  upon  tide-water  in  \e 


lersev, 


,r)ini 


cnns\  Ivaiii 


ami 


Dell 


iware 


leir  own   appi  llatioii  of 


f,i)iii/ii.  or  ori'jinal    people,  has   liein   almost    foriJioiten   liv 


thenisihcs,  ami    is  hcmt   used    bv    llie   other  tribes. 


Tl 


us    IS   the 


faniilv  alioiit  wliidi  so  many  tallies  ha  c  been  related,  and  credited. 
Occupyiiiif  the  country  between  the  Hudson  and  I'otoniac  rivers, 
.'ud  ImIwccu  the  eastern  .slope  of  the  AllcLdiany  Mountains  and  the 
ocean,  thev  U'caine  earlv  known  to  the  Moravians,  and  on^fa^ed  tlie 
care  and  alteiition  of  the  zealous  missionaries  employed  by  tluwti 
e\empl;irv  Christians.     The  whole  siilijed  of  Indian  relations  was 


fresh   and    new    In  the 


Thev  seem  ne\cr  to  have  known,  or  t( 


ia\('  hceilcd.  that  eiiti  rprisiiiLT,  sairacioiis,  an< 


iiivii  ineii  nail  lonir 


jireceded  them  in  these  investiiralions,  an.!  nad  traversed  the  conti- 
nent, siirveyinir  the  cnndilion  of  its  inhabitants,  and  in<piirinu  into 
the  chaiiifcs  tbc\  had  undergone.  All  that  the  l>'lawarcs  told  of 
tbeliisclMs'  .>;eeliis  to  have  iiccn  received  witliolll  suspicion.  ;uid 
rec<>rdi'(|  and  repeated  without  scriitins  It  is  easy  for  those  w ho 
have  lurmeil  much  acipiainlance  with  le  Indians,  to  trace  the 
circiimslaiices  which   irave  to  the  Ictfcnds  of  the   Dclitwares  sncli 


BiUhoritv,  and  to  llie  teiichers  oi'  the  Dela 


wiires  Hucii  en 


dulitv. 


The  .Moravians  wire   fust   planted  among  these  Indians.     'I'lieir 


HISTOKV  OF  Tin-: 


255 


iiiolU'iisivo  lives,  ;iii(]  disiiiti'n  sled  cir.irts  to  iiii|)n)v<"  tlicin,  soon 
nvaltnl  mntn:il  coiirKli'Mcc  a.id  atljicliiiitiit.  'I'lic  Moravians  fol- 
loucd  tlicm  ill  111.  if  vaiiniis  iiiiM;ratioiis,  iVoiii  tlic  Siis(|iifliaiiiia  to 
(III'  Oliio,  IV-mi  tilt'  Oliid  t.)  till'  Miiskiiiiriiiii,  iVoiii  tlir  .Miiskiiioiiiii 
lo  Lake  St.  Clair,  and  tliciuH'  in  many  of  tlnir  wandfrin^s,  that 
have  at  last  tcrniiiialcd  in  tlicir  passage  arross  tlic  Mississippi, 
ulii.li.  like  till'  I'alili'd  liviT,  dividing  tlic  livinuf  iVmn  tlir  dead,  can 
iic'.r  l»c  vicriisscd  l)\  an  Indian  coiiiniiinilN'. 

I)uriii<4  this  |nn>f,  iVcipnntly  pcnimis,  and  alwavs  pious  iiitcr- 
I'oiir.M',  the  attention  of  tlu'  niissioiiaries  was  directed  excliisivclv  to 
their  neo|»hytes.  'I'lic  manners,  customs,  and  condition  of  the  other 
trihes  were  a  sealed  Imok  to  them.  And  when  thi'  old  Delaware 
iliief  recounted  their  transactions,  ilweliiiicr  with  fonl  res^Mrt  upon 
the  liillcii  lortiiiies  of  their  nation,  iind  e\|)laiiiin<r  the  siihtle  [lolicv 
iif  tlie  Iroquois,  hy  whirh  the  Dclawar,  :^  were  leiliiced  to  the  con- 
ilitiuii  of  women,  it  was  |)erliaps  natural  that  the  tale  should  he 
liilii'vcd.  Its  utter  iiicoiisisteiicy  with  the  w  iiole  course  of  Indian 
'oniliicl,  and  with  the  authentic  series  of  events,  as  tlie\  appear  in 
till'  early  French  narratives,  hejore  this  pretended  self-aha.seiueiit, 
was  unknown  to  thesi'  unsiispectinLr,  worth\  men.  He  who  has 
iicard  Indian  traditions,  related  li\  auc  anil  listened  to  hv  voiilh.  in 
the  midst  of  an  Imliaii  cinip,  uitli  every  eve  u|Kin  the  speaker,  ami 
•all  appli;iiiccs  to  hoot,"  must  he  seiisihle  of  llie  impression  ihev 
lie  calculated  to  make.  .Vnd  we  may  well  excuse  the  spirit  in 
which  thcv  were  received. 

'i'he  Delawares.  at  the  period  win  n  mir  knowledge  of  ihein  com- 
menced, had  yielded  to  the  a.sc«Muk'Ucy  of  the  Iroipiois;  ami  were 
apparently  contented  with  their  suhmission.  'I'he  circuni.stances 
of  the  cmiipiest  are  entirely  unknown  to  us.  Hut  of  the  result  there 
IS  no  doiilit.  'i'he  procci  dinars  of  a  council,  recorded  liv  ('olden, 
held  with  the  Iroipiois  and  Dclav.ares,  at  IMiiiadelpliia,  in  171-J.  hv 
llie  <io\ernorof  I'eiiii.svlvania,  arc  conclusive  ii|Min  this  point.  TIk. 
ioHpiois  appe.ilcd  to  the  yovmior,  as  the  acknowh'dgpii,  pannnoiint 


2.".ti 


INDIAN   TIUIU'.S  or   NORTH    A.MKUICA. 


aiitliiiiitv,  t(i  rciiKivf  tlic  Dclawarcs  from  a  tnict  of  land  which  thry 
liad  ceded  to  remis\  Ivaiiia  many  years  lielore,  hut  llie  pnssessinti 
ot'  which  they  ret'iised  to  nHriijiiish.  'I'lie  comiiiaint  was  m:uli'  in 
open  conncil,  at  wiii<-h  tlie  Iroquois  and  Dehiwares  were  l)oth 
present,  and  at  the  next   sitting  it  was  answered  hy  tlic  former  in 


lliese    words: 


We  liavc  conchid(M]  to  remove  them,  and  ohhiTd 


lliein  to  <n<  over  the  river  Delaware,"  <Jtc.  And  then,  turnintf  to  thtj 
Delau ares,  the  speaker  said:  "Cousins,  let  this  l>elt  of  wampum 
serve  to  cliastise  you.  Vou  ouirht  to  he  taken  l»y  the  hair  of  the 
head  and  strctclu'd  severely  till  you  recover  your  senses  and  liecome 
sohcr.  Hut  how  came  you  to  take  upon  you  to  sell  land  at  all  .' 
We  con(piered  you;  we  made  women  of  you ;  you  know  you  are 
women  ;  and  is  it  tit  that  you  shotdd  hav(>  the  power  of  scllinir  lands. 


suice  vou  won 


Id  a! 


)ns(!  It 


Tl 


le  land  you  claun   is  ex[ienUe( 


d 


vou 


have   iieen   furiushed  witii   clothes,  meat,  and   driidv,  hy  the   if<KKls 
p  nd    \'ou   lor  it,  and 


are 


A I 


now  you  want    it  aijain,  like  ehililren.  as  you 

t'Ultlv. 


id  jiir  all  tliese  reasons  we  ehar<fo  vou  to  renioxc   nis 


we  don't  Liive  vou  the  liiiertv  to  think  alnnit  it.     Don't  deliherali 


lull  remove  awav,  and  take  this  hi 


It  of 


wampum 


This  ltein!,f  interpreted  i)y  Conrad  WCsir  into  Mnsflish,  and  hy 
Cornelius  Spring  into  tiie  Delaware  language,  Caiiepitigo,  taking  a 
strinti  of  wampum,  added  fiirtlu'r: — 

"Alter  our  just  reproof,  and  ah.solule  order  to  depart  from  the 
lands,  vou  have  now  to  take  notice  of  what  we  have  further  to  say 
to  vou.  This  string  of  wampum  serves  to  foriiid  you,  your  children, 
and  grandchiMreii.  to  the  latest  posterity,  for  ever,  ineddling  in  land 
allairs;  neither  you,  nor  any  who  shall  descend  from  \oii  are  ever 
iicreafter  to  presume  to  sell  any  land.  l"or  which  purpo.se  \ou  are 
lo  preserve  liiis  stiiiii;,  in  niemorv  of  what  your  uncles  have  this 


(lav  uixen  vou  in  chartrt 


W 


e  have  some  other  husiness  to  trans- 


act wiih  our  l)relhren  (the  whites),  and  therefore  depart  the  council. 


iiid  consider  what  has  lioen  saiil  to 


you. 


HISTOKY   OF   Tin: 


267 


!It'  wlio  can  lu'lifVf,  iit'tcr  lliis,  tlic  iilli-  talcs  related  of  the  power 
and  prowess  of  the  Dclawares,  must  In;  left  to  liis  crodidity. 

The  principal  portion  of  tliis  trilx?  emiifraled  iVoni  i'ennsylvaniii 


inaiiv  vears  sin'e,  and  establislied   themselves  in   (tiii( 


'I'l 


leiiee 


thoy  removed  to  Wliitt;  Itiver,  in  Indiana.  A  \\\v  years  ago,  tiny 
crossed  the  Mississip])i,  and  now  occnpv  a  reservation  secured  to 
them  in  the  south-w<stern  part  of  Missouri. 

The  \Vyan<le.ls  stood  at  the  heiul  of  the  great  Indian  confederacv. 
I  low  this  pre-eminence  was  acquired,  or  how  long  it  had  been  en- 
joyed, there  are  none  to  tell.  They  were  oriiiinally  e.stalilished  on 
the  St.  litiwreiice;  hut,  during  'heir  long  and  disa.strous  contests 
with  the  Invpiois,  thev  were  greatly  reduced,  and  compelled  to  llee 
iu'lbre  th(>se  viitorious  enemies.  From  their  local  position,  they 
entraged  the  can;  and  attention  of  the  Koman  Catholic  missionaries 
at  a  very  early  p(>ri(Ml,  and  their  history,  lor  upwards  of  two  cen- 
turies, is  better  known  than  that  of  any  other  trilw'.  After  tlie  Iro- 
(piois  began  to  gain  the  ascendency,  the  calamities  cnduri'd  by  the 
Wvandots  are  unparallelecl  in  the  history  of  nations.  Their  ene- 
mies pursued  them  with  the  most  unrelenliri'j;  riizor;  and,  without 
attempting  to  trace  the  incidents  of  this  war,  we  shall  merely  oli- 
serve  that  the  Wyandots  were  driven  to  seek  protection   tVom  tiie 


MOUV, 


at  tl 


le  western  extremity  of  Lake  Superio 


Tl 


ie\     Here 


remained  until  the  Iroipiois  wen;  crippled  by  tluir  wars  with  tiie 
French,  when  thev  returutMl  to  Lake  Huron,  and  established  them- 


I) 


is- 


sclves  for  a  .short  time  in  tin?  vicinit}'  of  Miehilimackinai 
satisfied  with  that  sterile  region,  they  tlescended  the  l)elrt>il  Ui\er 
alK)ut  tlie  perio<l  when  the  French  formed  their  lirst  seltleiiunts  m 
that  ([uarter,  and  afterwards  ttK)k  po.ssession  of  t he  Sandusky  plains, 
in  Ohio.  A  small  portion  of  the  triln;  yet  live  upon  the  river  <iii.i: 
Ciiiinids,  \\\  I'pper  Canada ;  and  a  still  smaller  portion  upon  the 
Kivcr  Huron  of  Lake  Hrie,  in  the  Michigan  ti'rril<iry.  'I'he  princi- 
pal part,  however,  occupy  the  country  upon  the  Sandusky  Uiver, 

84 


L'.")H 


INDIAN  TKirn:s  of  Noinii  a.mkkica 


in  Oliid.  'I'lifir  I'liti-'c  |K)piiI;iti(iii,  at  lliis  pciidd,  is  alidiil  som'ii 
hundred. 

Tliis  Irihf  sv.  ^  not  niiwortliy  of  tlic  jtrc-cMiiucncc  it  enjcycd. 
The  Fn-Mch  liistoriiinsdcsiTilw'  them  as  sn|)crior,  in  all  the  csscntiiil 
rliarai'tcristifs  of  savatrc  ht\',  to  any  otJHT  Indians  upon  the  conli- 
iicnl.  And  at  this  day,  tlicir  intrepidity,  their  general  deiiortnient, 
and  tlicir  lolty  Itr  iriiiLt,  eonlirni  tlie  a<connts  w  hieh  hive  lieen  u;iveii 
to  ns  In  ail  tlie  wars  upon  onr  horders,  until  the  eomdnsion  ol' 
W  a\  ne's  ti'eatv.  tliev  acted  a  eonspienons  part,  and  their  advice 
in  conncil,  and  conduct  in  action,  were  wurlhy  ol"  their  ancient 
renow  n. 

They  possessed  tlie  rii.dil  to  conviMie  the  si'veral  trilx's  at  the 
irreat  council  lire,  always  hnrniuif  iit  the  lodire  of  their  princi|tal 
chiei".  called  Siirstfnif:ir,  who  lived  at  Brownstown.  at  the  month 
ottiie  Detroit  River.  W  henevi  r  an\'  snliject.  invohinn'  the  ireneral 
interest  ot"  the  trilies,  rccpiired  <liscnssion,  the\  despatched  Miessa<fes 


to  the  countrv,  deniandinix  the  a 


ittend 


ince  oi'  thi'ir  i 


■liirfs 


anil 


thev 


opened  and  preside  I  at  liie  deliiierations  of  the  council. 

The  iuifeniiitv  ot'  ven'^(!un"e  Ins.  p.'rhips,  m-ver  devisi  d  a  more 
honilile  puuisliiucnt  than  tli.il  pro\  ided  ainon^r  this  tril)e  ti>r  murder 
The  corpse  of  tlie  murdered  mill  was  placed  upon  a  scalVold,  and 
the  murderer  cvteiided  iipiin  his  liaek.  and  tie(|  helow.  lie  was 
here  lel'l.  with  iiarelv  leod  enou'j;li  to  support  lil'c,  until  the  remains 
of  the  miirdere  I  suiijecl  alio\c  hiin  liecame  a  m;iss  ot  putridit\ . 
taliiii.;  upon  ii:'.a.  and  tlnai  all  I'ond  w  as  w  itiilieid.  wlicii  he  perished 

similar    punishiiiiiit 

rvaiidots,  diiriiiLr  all 

•ir  various  pereifrina 

'j;  posilinns  upon  the 

ipoii  tiie  eastern 


1                          ' 

llUS     llllSl 

•rahlv.     Th. 

r.' 

were 

no 

t 

■ac.'s  .il    a 

in 

onii 

ai 

\  otiiir  trill. 

I'he 

( )1t  iwas  wen 

he 

faithl 

III 

dl 

es  of  the  W 

th. 

•ir  inisl 

"ortim.^s,  and 

a.'i 

oiupaiii.' 

1 

hem  in  the 

tio 

ie». 

T 

hev  are  now 

mil 

cil  sr 

itl. 

r.' 

1.  dceupviii 

\I 

iiiiii 

'C, 

upon  tli.^  ( ir 

mil 

i{i\e 

nil 

1 

ak.'  MicliiL' 

.'III 

1  w . 

•St. 

I'll  coasts  dt' 

tha 

t   lalx. 

.  and 

U||o|l   till     1 

Hi 

\er. 

"li.ir  niiiiili.' 

r  is 

alioii 

1  li 

iir 

ih.iiisanil. 

an,  I 


avails  dt   tl 


III 


Iiidi.' 


HISroUY   (iV   THR 


269 


To  this  trilu'  'iH!loii'_n»(l  llic  rcl/liniii-d  I'diilinc.  lf(>  \v,is  lh)rn 
iihoiit  the  yt':ir  171  t,  ami  while  a  yoiiiiLT  'H'm  'lisliiiLJiiisluMl  liinisrir 
ill  flic  various  wars  in  which  the  Oltawas  were  eiiiiancd.  lli> 
L-radtiaily  ac(iuirc(l  ait  asceiidoiicy  over  liis  c(Miiitr\ men,  ami  ins 
11  line  iiiiil  aelioiis  heeame  known  In  ;.!!  the  trilies  in  tiic  north-west. 
lie  was  a  faithful  adherent  to  the  Freueli  interest,  and  a  deterinincd 
ciicniy  of  the  Kniflish.  Dnrinif  inanv  yctirs  of  tiie  lonu  contest 
hi'twceii  those  powers,  uliich  teriiiiiititcd  in  tiie  utter  siihversioii  of 
the  l''reneli  empire  in  America,  he  was  present  in  all  the  iin[)ortani 
actions,  stimnlatiiiL''  liis  eoniitr\ men  1)\  his  autlmrilv  and  example. 
Major  Hoirrrs  states,  ill  his  narrative,  that  when  he  marched  into 
the  Ottawa  country  with  his  first  detachment,  which  took  po.sse.s- 
sion  of  th<>  posts  in  the  north-west,  I'ontiac  met  him  with  a  partv 
of  his  warriors,  and  told  him  he  stood  in  his  path,  and  would  not 
sutler  him  to  advance.  By  iunicahle  professions,  however.  Major 
Uoijfcrs  concilialcf]  him,  and  for  a  short  lime  ho  appeared  to  he 
friendly.  Hut  his  attaehnient  to  the  French,  and  hostility  to  the 
Hritisli,  wt>ro  too  deeply  rooted  to  he  er.nl  ated,  and  ho  concerted 
a  scheme  for  the  overthrow  of  the  lalti  r.  and  for  their  e\|)ulsi(  n 
from  the  country.  No  plan  formed  hy  the  Indians  for  defence  or 
n>veiige,  since  the  discovery  of  the  continent,  can  he  compared 
with  this,  in  the  ahility  displayed  in  its  formation,  or  in  the  \i!.ror 
with  whicli  it  was  prosecuted.  'l"he  British  iiad  then  eleven  niili- 
I'ry  jM)sts  covering  that  frontier:  at  Xijigara.  at  l'res(|ue  Isle, , it  l,e 
Boeul,  at  Pittsburg,  at  Sandusky,  at  the  Mauniee,  at  Detroit,  at 
Miidiiliniackiunc,  at  (Jrceii  Day.  an<l  at  St.  Joseph.  I'ontiac  medi- 
tated a  contemporaneous  attack  upon  all  th(>se  posts  ;  and,  after  their 
reduction,  a  perma'ient  contcdcr'cy  among  tli(>  Inilians,  and  a  per- 
petual exclusion  of  the  l^ritisji  from  the  country.  Ijike  'reeumthe, 
he  culled  the  siiperst  lion  of  the  Indians  to  the  aid  of  his  projects, 
and  disclosed  to  them  the  will  of  the  Great  Sjiirit.  w  iiicli  he  pre- 
vailed on  ihem  to  helii've  had  been  revealed  to  him  by  the  various 
prophets  over  whom  he  hud  acijuired  an   influence.      One   great 


2()0 


INDIAN    TKIUKS    0  1"    NOUTII    A.MLIUCV. 


')j('Ct  was  1o  rciKU'i"  liis   j)C()|>lc  iiidcjJi'iiiliMil  of  llic  uliilc  men,  liy 
pcrsiiiuliiiu;  tlicin  lo  ri'smiic  tlicir  aiiciciil  iikmIc  (iriilc. 

'I'o  rolliiw  tlic  liistorv  of  I'liiiliiic  in  his  cxcniriil  carciT,  wtniM 
iirid  lis  1(1(1  far  tVoiii  iIm"  course,'  we  have  prcscrilird  lor  oiirsflvcs. 
Sdinc  dlllic  principal  facts  arc  recorded  in  dii'  jouiiials  of  tliat  day  ; 
l)iit    lliese  an>  tlie  mere  ouliines.      Ail   tliat   Lrjves   interest    to  the 


■tnre,  lives  only  in  tlie   Indian  and  Canadian  tradit 
.ft 


til 


ion,  and  in  thi 


leu   niaiiiiscript  notices  of  these  transactions,  which  have  lieen  acci- 
(leiitallv  |)rcs(  rved. 

I",i'_dit  of  tliese  posts  were  captured.       lint   \ia(^iira,  i'ittshnrii, 


anil 


Detroit,  were  successriilU   det'eiided.      The  sieyc  of  the  latter 


IS 


i\   far  tiie  most   extraordinarv  cllint   ever  made  l)\   the   Indians  in 


:iii\    of  their  wars. 


It 


e(imiiience(i    in   Mav,  ITfWJ,  and  eontinned 


willi    more   or  less  \  i'^or,  until    the    plac 


e    was   relievci 


li\    <  ieiieral 


HiMiJstiM  (t.  in  ITCil,      Dnrinir  this  period,  niaiiv  ol"  the  events  seem 
more   like   lii(>   incidents  of  romance,   than   the  occurrences  of  an 


IikIi'iii  campanjfn. 
sion  ol  the  town 


A 


iiioiin  these  were  tlie  attcmut    to  ifaiii    posses 


I' 
liy  treacherx .  and  its  providential  disclosure  ;   the 


!itta(  1;  u[)on  one  of  the  IJritish  armed  vessels  hv  a  licet  of  caiidcs, 
and  the  precipitate  retreat  of  tlie  assailants,  after  izaiiiiicj  possession 
ot  the  Vessel,  in  coiise(pience  of  ordcis  lieilii;  L;i\i'n  liv  the  captain 
lo  fire  the  maiia/.iiie.  which  w ere  o\erlieard.  and  communieated  to 
llie  Indians  liy  a  whil(  man.  who  liad  liecii  taken  captive  lt\  tli(  in 
earlv  in  life;  the  battle  ol"  the  lU(iod\  iJridife.  well  named  licin 
this  sanguinary  action,  in  wlii(di  an  aid-de-caiiip  of  Sir  .lelVrey  Am- 


herst commauded  am 


I  fell. 


nd  the  desiierate  elforts  twice   made   h\ 


!ili/.iii'.i  raits  to  set  lire  to  the  armed  vosels  ;incliored  in  front  of  the 
lown— these,  aiiioiiL;  min\'  exeiits  of  suliordiiiate  interest,  ui\c  a 
character  ot"  perseverance  and  of  systematic  elfort  to  this  sii'tre.  loi 
which  we  shall  in  vain  look  elsewhere  in  Indian  history.  If  eon 
leinporarv  accounts  aiiij  traditioiiar\'  recollections  can  lie  credited, 
.ill  these  were  the  result  of  the  superior  u'cnius  of  l\)utiac,  and  ol 


th(   a.scendencv  lie 


hail 


gained  over  Ins  eouiitrymoii 


II  IS  TORY  OF    TIIK 


261 


Tlic  .siil)S('(|uciit  riilcortliis  wiirri.ircliicrdid  not  (■(irri's|)()ii(l  w  ith 
111.-  linoic  s|iirii  he  displiiycd  in  Ids  cllorts  .•lif.diisl  tin-  JJritisli. 
Al'ici-  tlnir  power  M|ioii  tlu'  iVoiiticr  wiis  ro-i'stal»lislicd,  lu;  Irll  the 
i-oniitiv  and  took  i\-\'w^i'  aninn^-  tlic  Indians  upon  tliu  Illinois.  I'roni 
some  trivial  oans(^  a  (niarrcl  rirosi;  hctwccn  him  an<l  a  I'coria  Indian, 
w  liich  Icrniinatcd  in  his  assassination. 

Such  was  the  respect  in  whieh  his  memory  was  held,  tliat  the 
other  trihes  nnited  in  a  <'rnsade  against  the  Peorias  to  rcveii'rc  his 
death,  and  tiiat  tribe  was,  in  elleet,  exterminated. 

Tiie  fJliippewas  (or  ()jil)was)  reach  from  i,ake  Hrie  to  the  Lake 
of  tlie  Woods,  [)ossessinif  a  country  ofirreat  extent,  much  of  which, 
linucver,  is  sterile  in  its  .soil,  and  bleak  in  its  climate,  'i'hev 
pos.sess  the  coasts  of  T.ake  Huron  and  Lake  Superior,  the  heads  of 
liic  \Iissi.ssippi,  some  of  till'  western  coist  of  I,ake  Michit>;an,and  have 
a  joint  interest  with  the  Ottawas  and  Pottawatimics  in  tiie  country 
of  the  Fox  and  Des  IMeines  Rivers  in  Illinois.  'I'lieir  numbers  are 
I  ()m|mted  at  fd'leeii  thousand. 

'riie.se  Indians  live  yeiieraily  upon  tiie  •j;rv:i{  1  ikes,  and  upon  tlie, 
streams  (lowiu'j;  into  them.  Fish  forms  an  im[Ktrtant  article  of  their 
food,  and  they  are  expert  in  the  niauufacture  of  bark  canoes,  the 
only  kind  used  by  liu'in,  and  in  their  manaircment.  In  eleanline.ss, 
ill  docility,  and  in  provident  arran'j:ement,  ihev  are  inferior  to  man\- 
of  the  other  trilx-s;  and  those  in  tlu'  immeiliate  vicimlv  of  our 
Iroiitier  posts  and  .settlemenl.s.  furnish  melancholv  examples  of  the 
elfect  of  the  inlriKluetion  of  spirituous  liipiors  amon^'  them.  All  tho 
bands  extiMidinir  to  the  arctic  circle,  and  occupvinif  the  territories 
of  tho  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  appear  to  be  brandies  of  this  yreat 
laniily.  The  principal  seat  o|'  tiicir  power  and  liovernmeiit  was 
formerly  at  Point  ('heijoimendii,  upon  Lake  Superior,  and  from  the 
accounts  of  the  ( 'alholic  missionaries  .stationed  ainon<,r  them,  tlioy 
•vcre  then  a  prosperous  and  inlluential  tribe. 

The  Pollawatimies  are  situated  principally  in  the  northern  parl.s 
Mf  Indiana  and  Illinois,  in  the  soiith-westoru  section  of  Lakt;  .Michi- 


2(52 


INDIAN   TUini:.S   01'   NORTH    AMKKICA 


;ili.  iiiid    ill   llir    cniiiitry  bclwccn    tliiit    lake   iiiid   tlif    Mississippi. 


Tl 


lev 


■.liiiiatcil  iif  iiluml  six  tlnnisaml  live  liiiinircd. 


■^I'liis  was  roriiicrly  the  most  popular  trilx-  iiorlii  of  tiic  Ohio. 
Tln'v  arc  rcinarlialile  for  their  stature,  s\  iimietrv ,  ant!  Iiin'  personal 
appearance.  'I'lieir  orii^inal  conntry  was  along  the  sonthern  shon; 
of  liake  Micliiuan,  hnt  they  extended  thenisehcs  to  the  \\  hite 
]{i ver,  in  Imliana,  on  tlie  soiitli,  to  the  I  )etroil  Kiver  on  the  east,  and 


to  the    lUock    lliver 


on 


tl 


lU    w 


est.      And  thev   lir.st   intcriuwed  an 


olfectual  harrier  to  the  victorious  career  of  the  Inxpiois. 

lietwecn  these  tiiree  last  named  trihes.  the   Oltawas,  ("hippewas, 
nnd  Pottawatimies,  a  more  intimate  union  evisted  than  hetwccn  aiiv 


of  the  other  trihes,  not  actually  forniin<'  a  strict  confederac 


}■• 


Tl 


leir 


laiiiruaifcs  ajiproach  .so  near,  that  they  umlerstand  one  another  with- 
out dillii-ulty.  'i'hcy  have  hut  one  council  fire;  in  other  words. 
l)ilt  ono  iLsscmhlaire  of  chiefs,  in  whicii  tiieir  important  husiness  is 
manatrcd.  ,\nd  until  recently  they  were  unwilling  to  concludes 
any  imixirtant  affair,  unless  around  this  common  council  lire.  Jliit 
this  institution,  like  many  of  thi'ir  other  peculiar  customs,  i.s  fast 
moulderiiitf  away.  Many  of  the  circumstances  whicli  tjavi!  influence 
and  authority  to  these  '^rave  convocations,  have  long  since  di.s- 
iip[)eared.  The  ashes  of  their  coiiiK'il  lires  are  scattered  over 
the  land,  and  the  plough  Ims  turned  up  tin;  Ixmcs  of  their  fore- 
fathers. 

The  Shawanose,  for  more  tlian  a  century,  have  heen  much  sepa- 
nited,  and  their  hands  have  resided  in  dillerent  parts  of  the  coiintrv 
A  considerahle  portion  of  them  lixc  upon  a  rt'sc-rvation  at  Waupauko- 
netla,  in  Ohio,  hut  a  majoritv  have  crossed  the  Mi.ssissipjii,  and  have 
rccomnienced  tiie  life  of  warriors  and  hunters,  in  hostile  attacks 
upon  the  Osatrcs,  and  in  tlie  pursuit  of  the  ImlValo.  'I'his  trunsmi- 
gration  commenced  durintr  our  revolutionarv  war.  TIh^v  made 
their  fust  settlement,  on  tiieir  removid,  near  ( "ape  (urardeau.  This 
{x)sition  tlu'.y  luive  since  relimpiislu-d,  and  the.y  aro  now  much  dis- 


insroKY   OF   TIIK 


ptrscd  ill  liOiiisiiiiiii,  in  Arksiiisiis,  iiiid  iii  Mi^s.smll•i.  'I'lic  trilje 
uiiiiilH'rs  iiliDiil  Iwo  tlioiisiiiul  ncrsoiis. 

Miicli  (iltsciirily  rests  ii|ii)ii  tlic  iiislory  ofllir  Sli.nviiiifSf.  '{"iicir 
iiiiiMiifrs,  customs,  iiiiil  lim<firci<f('  imlifatc  !i  iiortlicrii  (iii'jin,  aii'l 
M|n\ar(ls  of  two  cciitiirics  airo  they  iiclti  liic  coiiiilrv  south  ol'  Lakt^ 
llrif.  Tlicy  wcrr  the  fust  trilic  wliicli  felt  tiic  t'oni',  aud  \  ieldcd 
to  tiic  suiHTJority,  of  tlic  Iroijiiois.  ('oiKiuncd  liv  tlnin,  llit-v 
iniLiiMti'd  to  till'  s<iutli,  aud  iVoiu  i\-.\v  or  tavor,  were  allowed  to  tako 
|H'sscssiou  of  a  rcLfioii  upou  Savaiinali  Kivcr,  but  what  part  of  that 
ri\cr,  whcliifr  in  ficortfiu  or  I'lorida.  is  not  kuown — it  is  prcsiutic  I, 
the  foruicr.  I  low  loui.'  they  n-sidi'd  tlicrc,  we  liavc  not  tlic  uicaus 
of  asccrtaiuiu'i ;  uor  have  w(>  any  account  of  the  iiicidcuts  of  tiicir 
history  in  tliat  country,  or  of  the  causes  of  their  Icavinif  it.  One, 
if  not  more,  of  their  hands  removed  from  ihiiice  to  I'enus\  hania ; 
i)ut  the  larLjer  portion  took  possession  of  the  countr\'  uixiu  the 
Miami  and  Scioti  llivers,  iii  Oiiio,  u  fertile  rej^'iou,  where  their 
hahils,  more  industrious  than  those  of  their  race  ireiicrallv,  enahled 
Ihem  to  li\(<  comliirtalily. 

This  is  the  oidy  trihe,  amoii-j:  all  our  Indians,  wiio  claim  for  thcui- 
sehcs  a  torei<j;n  oriufin.  Most  of  the  aiioriirines  of  the  continent 
hi'lieve  tiu'ir  forefathers  asceuiled  Iroui  lu-les  in  the  earth  ;  and  manv 
of  them  assimi  a  /nrti/  hnhilnlion  to  these  tradiliouarv  places  of 
iiitivily  of  their  race:  resemliliuu,  in  this  respect,  soiin  ol  the 
tridilions  of  anti(piity,  !iiid  derived.  perlia|)s,  from  tliat  remote 
p.'riod,  when  l)arl)arous  trilies  were  IroirliKh  tes,  suhsistiiiLj:  upon 
the  spout  iiieoiis  proiliictioiis  of  the  earth.  The  Shawaiiese  liclieve 
lliiir  ;iMc<'stors  iiihaliiteii  a  fnreiijn  land,  u  hich.  frnm  some  liiikiiown 
I'ausc,  they  delcrmined  to  ahaudoii.  They  collecte  I  their  pci>pli> 
1o:^-et!ier,  and  mirched  to  the  sea  shore.  Here  v.arious  persons  were 
sch-ctc  I  to  lead  (h(>m.  hut  they  declined  the  dutv.  until  it  was 
nil  Icrlikcii  l)V  one  of  the  Turtle  triite.  lie  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  procession,  and  walked  into  the  sea.     'I'lie  waters  imiiie- 


.'tU 


INDIAN   riMiti'.s  or  Noirrn 


(H;itrly  dividcil,  anil   lliry   |)iisst'(l  alon^r  the 


nil 


lev  rraclicd  tills  "  /,s- 


land.' 


til  tl 

'I'lic  SliawaiHsc  liavc  oiii'  institution  po 
'riit'ir  iialioii  was  (iriirinaily  )li\  idcil  into  \\\ 
lu'irinir  diirtrciit  names,  llaili  oftlicsc  triltcs 
usual  iiianiii'r.  into  tainilirs  nj'  ihc  l')a<ili  .  llic  'J 
iiiais  I'Diislitiiliii'j;  tlicir  Inli ms.  'I'wo  n|'  tlicst 
rxliiict,  and  llifir  iiaincs  arc  litrnnltcn.  'I'lic  i 
aic  |irrsrr\cd  ;  lint  oiilv  runrtij"  tliisc  aic  now 
arc  til)'  Makostrakr,  tlif  l'irka\va\ .  tiif  Kirka|iiMi.  and  llic  ( 'liilirotliu 
trilirs.  or  tlic  si\  wlmsi'  naincs  arc  |ircscr\cd.  Iiiit  wlutsc  s('|»arati! 
cliaraclcrs  arc  lost.  n<i  (|csccndaiit>  td  one  ot' tin  h  lie  \\  aii|ili!intliu- 
winiaiikcc.  now  survive.  'I'lic  rcinains  nt'tiic  dllii  i  live  liavc  Iiccouk^ 
ini'iir|iiiratcd  w  illi  the  iimr  siilisistiii<j;  tribes.  I')\en  to  this  dav,  each 
nt'  tile  lour  sides  of"  their  eotineil  houses  is  assiirned  to  one  of  tiicse 
triU's,  and  is  invarialily  oreu|iieil  liy  it.  .Mthoie^h,  to  ns,  tlie\  a|i|)ear 
the  same  |ieo|ile,  \et  tlicv  |ireteiid  In  [lossess  the  power  of  diseeriiiiijf, 
at  sitxlit.  to  whieli  trilie  an  individual  IicIohms. 


'I'lii'   I'clelirated   'reeumtlie.   aii<l    his    hrollier    'l)iis-/,tr(lU-l(l 


iniir, 


more  ijfeiierally  known  hy  the  appellation  of  the  I'rophet,  were 
Shauaiiese,  and  sprimii  •''oiii  tlie  Kiekapoo  tribe.  Thev  lieloiiLred 
to  the  family,  or  /ntim,  of  the  I'aiither,  to  the  mah'S  of  which  alone 
was  the  name  'I'mniif/ii'.  or  r/i/nn/  iinnss.  Ljiven. 

'Their  paternal   <rraiidfatlier  w  as  a   ( 'reek,  and   their  Lrrandmotlier 


iwai 


lese.     The  name  of  their  father  was   I'nkcshii 


iwaii,  who 


w,is  horn  amoiiLT  the  Creeks,  hut  removed  with  his  tribe  to  Chili- 
cotlie,  upon  the  Sciot  i.  'reeuinlhe,  his  fourth  son,  was  Iwirn  upon 
till'  journey  I'nkeshinwau  was  killed  at  the  battle  at  Point  IMea- 
sant.  at  the  iiioiitli  of  the  Keiiliawa.  in  1771,  and  tlic  I'rophet  was 
one  of  lluee  postliiiiiKiiis  children,  born  at  the  .saino  birth,  a  lew 
monllis  al'teruards. 

We  shall   not   here  relate  tiie  incidents  of  IIk;  lives  of  tlicse  two 
men,  w  ho  e.xeivi.scd,  for  many  year.s,  such  a  powerful  inlluence  over 


.\  M  i: 

iIC.\. 

bottom  of  the 

oeciiti, 

ciiliar 

i 
to    themselves. 

elv(> 

ribes  or 

bands, 

was  >i 

llNlivideil 

,  ill  the 

I'lirth- 

,  tS..-.,th. 

.se  ani- 

•  trill. 

•s   have   1 

lerome 

laiiics 

of  the  ot 

ler  ten 

kept  1 

lislinct. 

'i'liese 

11 1  .ion  V  ni'   riii; 


305 


the  iiiinds  of  tlicir  lountrvii 


i«;rH 


ujiniur,  Mil' 


tl 


oik:  iiy  his  pruw.' s  ju.d  rcjiiitiitioii 


\t'  ( 


itlicr  Ity  his  slircwdiifss.  ;iii  1  hy  tlu'  pri't 


(11- 


Mniis   to   11   direct    iiittM-coursc   with    tlic    (irciit    S|.iiit,   and    to   the 
chiiraitcr    and    (|iiahlicatioiis    ..f  a    prophet.       The    ele\ali(iii    and 


anlliorit\-  or'r( ■riinitlie  reMiltid  Ironi  tl 


ic  operation  ot   eaiises  uhieh 
les — resunree  and  enerii\   in 


are  ielt  aiiion<;  ;|||  nations,  ami  at  'ill  tin 
war,  and  siieccss  in  lultle. 

'This   is    the    'rci'iimthe    who   fell    in    the    late    war   liet 


ween   tilt! 


riiiled    State 


■  reat 


Mrit 


lin,  in   the  ineinorahle  hatth 


Innies, 


in    I' 


(' 


naila,   and 


as    we    helieve 


hv    the    liand   ol' 


Colonel  Uieharil  M.  .lohn.son.  of  Kentmdvv. 

'I'lie  iiilliieiicc  ac ipiired  hy  thf  Prophet  aro.se  In 
peculiar  to  the  Tndi  ins,  charactc  ristic  of  the  .sttilc  of  t 
and  ol  the  sii|)erstilioiis  notions  prevalent  anioiiLr  tliciii. 
ot    prophet,  as  conferred    liv  us  upon   tlii 


nil  circiinistanccs 


leir  societ\', 
The    til!,! 


s  sagacious  iinposlor 


iiid 


erv 


lanatic,  conveys  a  very  inadeipiate  idea  of  hi,-,   pretensions.      I';\ 

iphets.  wild  perforin  distinguished  parts  in  all  piii)lic 


tril)e  hiis  Its  jin 


transictions.     Their  cclehrilvand  iiillneiice  .ire  .soinetini 


es  colilined 


to  their  own  trihe,  and  .soinetiini-s  exteiiilei]  to  lh 


■  liicl 


1  are  cir 


(•III 


iijaccMit,  dcpendiiit;-  upon  the  success  of  their  power  of  vaticina 


tioji.      Biitof  all  thcs;'  inaiiicians  or  prophets,  no  one  ever 
C'pial    fiinc,    or    exercised    eipial    aiithoritv    with     the    SI 


Pro|thcl,   at    first 


iil-te-was-e-ka\ 


lilt    alterw; 


attain 


1  iwaiieso 


elis- 


kwaw-la-wiiw,  or,  tiie  npai  i/nnr.  His  name,  and  tiie  accoiiiils  of  his 
miracles,  spread  from  Lake  Superior  to  I'Morida ;  and  tlicrc  was  not 
a  trihc  of  Indians,  in  all  this  va.st  cxlent.that  did  not  steadilv  direct 

or  some  siL,nial   interposition  to 
[| 


their  attention  to  this  iinii,  lookinu  f 
check  lh(>  asceiideiicv  of  the  wiiit 


iti's,  and   to  restore  the   Indians  t 


tlicir  former  and  hetler 


condition. 


I) 


iiriiii>-  a  few  of  the   (irst   vears 


of  this  century,  <ireat  auilatioii    prevailed   ainoni^ 
they  were  evideiitlv  lookiiii;  for  .some  irreat  and 


the  I 


ndians.  and 


immediate  crisis  m 


their  alVairs.     This  te(>lin'r  was  manifested   i;i  the  al; 


frontiers,  and,  united  with  otl 


inn    upon  tim 


84 


ler  ciuisos,  tho  most  prominunl  of 


2M 


INDIAN    lUliUiS    ()!••    Ndillll    A.MKUICA, 


HOC, 


I  cMiitiiiillv  til  till'  co-oiirnitiiiii  <il'  NdiMc  (>r  llu-  triltis  uitli  tin- 


ivliicli    was   (iirtitrii    inlliiiMirc,    led    to    tlic    iiuttlc    (if  'l'i|i|ic'c;i 

ami 

llntisli 

'I'lif  liistiirv  III  this  itardWMii  nf  laiiatiristii  wduld  «\liiliit  iiiiiiiy 
ciiriiiiis  itiul  iMtri'i'stiii'j  traits  ot'  liiiiiiait  cliaractiT,  ami  iiii;^lit  he 
('t)iii|iar('il  with  siinilar  ilcliisiniis  whirh  liavc  imNaiicd  in  innrf 
ri\ili/.i'il  I'oiniiiiiiiitii's.  'I'hc  l'i'i>|ih('t  est  ililishcil  hiiiist'lt  at  (irccii- 
villf,  ii|ioii  till'  Miami  nt'  thr  Ohio,  w  hrrc  lir  was  attriiiird  liy 
di'lr'jali's  tVoiii  \ariiiiis  trihrs.  Hi-  rri'iiiiiiiiriidrd  tn  tiif  Imiiaiis  t(i 
rdiMiii    rriMM    thr    use   nf  uhisk\,airl    In   iVcc   tlii'iiis('|\rs    (Voiii   all 


•|icii(lciiir  ii|iiiii  the  uliito,  li\   n'suMiiiiu.  as  tar  as   possi 


hlr.  t1 


nir 


aiirifiit  hihits  (illilr  I  iidrrtlit'  prt'tciiru  ufrxtiiit  itiii<^  witrlicralt. 
he  inllanii'd  thr  minds  nl'  tin'  Indians  air:iinst  rviTV  t'ni'iny  i<r  rival, 
and  |irui'nri'd  tln'ir  di'striii-linn.  Ilf  uatlirri'd  round  hnn  a  Innd  of 
I'aithlnl  lii'lii-vrr;.  |(ir|rir('d  to  rxcniti'  his  orders  upon  I'ririul  or  liic. 


I 


niMTsal    |iinii'   |iri'vaili'd   amoM'4    thr    Indiins.   and    hiul    nut    stil 


stroniirr  a|i|in'hrnsii)ns  owriMiwricd  tlinr  ilclnsion.  In  thr  cr 


iti.'il 


rrlatinns  ln'twcrn  thr  Initri,  States  and  (irrat  lintaiu,  and  the 
evident  a|i|irnirh  ol  uir,  the  Sliawanesr  l'ro|ihet  mi'^ht  hi\e 
lieromr  thr  .M'l/iiii/ii/  n|  his  rare. 

In    iiiiw   mnrh   n|'  all   this   he  uas  an    im|i<istor,  and  hou  mtirh  a 
taiiatii'.  it  is  impossihle  In  Irll.  ami  was   |ierha|is   iinlviinwu   to   hiin- 


•W      T 


li.   pi'M^Trss  III' 


liismii  (i\rr  oiirsrives   Is  es 


I  il)ll> 


Her 


\>\    Ih 


u  hole  historv  of  minlvind,  and  the   eonlines  ot   I'anatiriMn   and   mi- 
postiire  are  sep  irated  li\  iinpereeptihle  honiidaries.      In  the  relations 


\\  hirh  hr  iia\r  nl  ills  iiitrlillons,  npliiloiis,  and  lll>tnl'\  .  he  appears 
tn  lia\e  iireii  eaildld,  and  \\  liilllLi  to  iIimIom'  e\er\  thlll'^  klinwii  to 
ilim        lllll   \M'  >iiall  lint  tallLlile  tlie  reader  \^llh  this  narrative 

Till     I'loplirl,  Iprlnre  iiis  death,  removed   vv e>t    oj'  the    Mississippi, 
and    jnimd   tiie    Siiawanesr  of  tlial   nijiinii. 
talents  nave  liim  iiilliinire  over  tlie  Indians. 

The  Kirkapons  wri'r  dniililless   niiited  vvilh   the   Shavvaiirsi    at  a 
perind  lint  viTv  distant.     Thi'  traditions  nl  earli  irihe  eontaiii  similar 


Wli 


errvrr  lie  went  Ills 


HisToii V  or  liii': 


207 


arcomits  of  Mirir  iiniiiii  iiiid  M'|iiirii1iiiii ;  ami  llic  iilciitilv  i^f  (heir 
hiii'iiiaiff  rii.'iii^lics  iiTclVaoalilf  f\  idciicf  nl"  tlicir  rdiisimLTiiiiiitv. 
\\i'  arc  iiii'liiiril  1<>  iM-licvc  tliiit  wlifii  the  Sliawaiifsc  wi  it  nxcr- 
liDWcrrd  In  llic  li(M|iuiis,  and  ahaiidoni'd  lln'ir  cuiimIin  ii|)iiii  Lalvc 
llric,  flicy  scparalt'd  into  Iwo  j^rcat  <li\i>*ioiis ;  one  of  uliicli,  |iii- 
s('r\  iiiir  llifir  (Pii"_fiital  a|)|)i'llii1i(in,  lied  into  I'Mnrida,  and  the  tttlicr, 
nnu  known  to  iis  as  lln'  KifKa|pnos.  icliirncil  1o  tlir  west,  and  t-sla- 

ins,  upon  ihc  ivtcnsiv*; 


•h 


)l|slM>d   thcnisrlvfs  anionir  the 


Iniois 


Indi 


prairies  on   tlial    river,  and    liil 


VM'rn    It   :ind  the 


M 


ississippi. 


rt'i^'ion  tliry  have,  liowrvc 

M 


linipiislicil  to  the   iinli 


air: 


ins 


ind 


liivc  iMui^'rati'd  to  Missouri,  near  tnc  rentre  ol  unieji  State  u 
reservation  has  been  seeiired  to  tlieni.  'I'liis  trilie  numbers  about 
two  thousand  two  hundred. 

'I'lic  Miamics,  when  lir.sl  known  to  the  I'reneh.  were  living 
around  ('hicatro,  upon  F/ake  Michiiian.  It  w.is  the  chief  of  this 
tribe,  whoso  stiilo  and  attendam-e  were  depicted  by  the  Sieiu'  I'errot 
in  sueli  stronu  colors.  Charlevoix,  without  voiichini,'  for  the  entire 
accuracy  of  the  relation,  observes,  that  in  his  time  there  was  moro 
i!eferenc(?  paid  by  llu;  Miamius  to  their  ehiels,  than  by  any  othor 
Indians. 

This  tribo  removed  iVom  Lake  Midiiiran  to  the  Wabash,  whoro 
they  yet  retain  an  e.xtensive  tract  of  country  upon  which  they  resid(^ 


A  kindred  trilx;,  the  Weas,  n 


lore  p 


ro[) 


•rlv  called  the   Xewcalenou.'^ 


lonif  lived  with  the  Miumies:  but  they  have  recently  separated 
iVom  \]\vn\,  and  crossed  the  Mississippi.  'Their  whole  niimiier  does 
not  exooed  three  hundred  and  fifty.  Of  the  Miaiiiies,  about  ono 
thou.sand  yet  remain. 

'Phis  tribe  wa.s  formerly  known  to  the  Engli.sh  ns  the  Twisjhwoea. 
They  ap|)ear  to  have  been  the  only  Indians  in  the  west,  with  the 
exception  of  one  other  trilie,  the  Foxes,  who,  at  an  early  period,  were 
attacln'(l  to  the  Mntflish  interest.  The  causes  which  led  to  this 
union  are  unknown,  but  for  many  years  they  prml need  a  decisive 
elTect  upon  the  fortunes  of  the  Miamies. 


•^'i~i 


I  \  hi  \N     TIJI  lli;"<    (ir    N(i|{  I  il    AM  i:i!l(    \. 


'I'll  ■   .st     MiJi'^l  of  all   iirliliitiniiN  in  llic  liiNlur\  nl    liiiiii m  \\>\ 

irt\,  rxisti'il    iiiiiniiti    this   ii'ilii'.      Il 


'viinliiiNs.   Ilif    iiiim-<:ilinu   sni 

(•\lillii  il  ;iImi  111  lllc  l\|i'k!l|n><is,  iillt  tn  iiiiW  IIIIIIV  ciIIiiTn  V\r  ilii  lint 
kl:<i\\  Il  :i|i|ii  :il'>  In  ll'iVi  lit'i'll  llii'illltV  III  llli'  IIII'IiiIm'I'.s  III  tills 
Mirii"'^  III  I'll  .lin  iMjlllM'S  wliii  wiTr  t:ikrll,  mill  i|rll\rlri|  In  lliiln 
I'lir  ill  I  ;ilir|ii>>r  'I'llr  Mltilcrl,  ilscH',  i^i  M)  li\ii|t|||i_r  III  l|||s(|:i\, 
r\rii  In  llic  l.iiliiiiis.  Iliiil  II  is  (lilliriill  li 
li:  1 1 


<-i>ll)-rl  III!'  Irailitiiiiiai'v 


i!i'l'ii!>  rum  rniiiii:  tins  iii-lili:lii<ii.  lis  iliilns  anil  its  priviti  -j^i-s  U<r 
il  liiil  IkiIIi.  Wirr  rriiiilalril  li\  IhiilT  Hsaijc,  ai|i|  ll^  \^  Imlr  rrri-innilial 
was  |irrsi  nliril  li\  a  liunilil'-  llllial!  il>  inrlnln  l>  IhIiiIivtiI  111  iilir 
t'liiiliv.  ai<l  inlli  lilril  liiis  iiilliiils  iliNliiirliiiji.  'I'lir  sii'|i't\'  Was  a 
fcliijim:--  uiir,  ami  ils  ifrral  Icsluals  were  ci'lrliralnl  in  llir  |irrsriir(t 
i>r  till-  wlmlr  tlilif.  DlirihU  iIm"  rxistiiicc  of  llic  |ii(sriil  „"lnrallitll, 
tills  siirji'U  Ins  •liMiiis'.H"!,  iiinl  iH'iliirmc  I  its  slmrkiii'j;  iliilii's  ;  hut 
l!ir\   arr  lliiw    wll "Ih    ilisi'iilitlliiit'il.  and  \^lll  lir  i  n-  |ii||i_'  rnrmiltrii. 

Till'  \aniills  Inlirs  mi  the  lllllinis  l{l\rr  WrIT  Kliii.vii  111  llir 
I'l'i'iii  II  as  till'  lllllinis  liiilians;  Inil  llir  ;i|i|M-||alinii  was  lalliii' 
ilrsrii|ili\r  nt"  tluii"  'ji'ii'i'al  risiiliiui',  lliaii  tit"  aiiv  iiiliiiiati'  niiinii. 
|iii!iiii'al  III'  -xirial.  siiKsi.stin^  aiiiiiii<.r  llirin.  Ainl  il  is  imt  vus\  In 
asi  rlliili  |ii'  i^rl\  till'  IiiIm's  wliirli  Wilr  ilirlllilril  limlrr  lliis  liTlll. 
'I'lir     Kaski  >s,     llir     (    .ilmkias.     till'     I'liil'ias,     liir      MnlilLi  IIIIM'S,    llir 


'I'.iiiinii'is,   'llic    I'iaiiki'sliaws,    iiilialiiti  (I    llial    i 


r'jimi.  i.ail    a 


ili'ii.  's  lirarilli,'  a  closr  I'i'si'liililaiirr  In  nlir  ailiitluT,  ami  lirarlv 
alliril  III  llir  laiii|lia'_rr  nj'  llir  \liai|i'i-s  ami  \\  i';is  Snliir  i>\'  tlirsr 
li'ilii's  arc  (>vtiiirt,  aiiM  hIIhts  arc  rcilnrcil  In  a  lew  imliviiliials 
riic  I'iaiikcsliaws  arc  llic  iiinsl  iiuinciniis,  ami  tlic\  iiidiilicr  Imt 
tlii'cc  liiiiiili'cil  ami  lil'u  imli\  iiliials  'riicwlmlc  lia\c  passcil  ii\i'r 
the  \lississi|i|ii. 

When   the   I'i'cmh   first  c\|i|nrcil  the  cuimtrv  on  the  Illiimis,  the 


iillIalK  were  so 


liiiiiici'niis  that    tlie\    were  (leiiniiiiiiateil    the    lllim 


n\  Ml  the  ai'iniiiiis  ul'  that  ear!\  |ierin'l  iniiciir  in  rc;»resciiliii'i 
llie  almriLliii'il  |iii|iiilaliiiii  as  iiliiimliiit  I  >iic  il  llic  li'ilii  v'  I'allcil 
llic   Mascniitnrs.  I  r  |icii|i|i    n|    the  |iraii'ie,  has  i|iHa|)|iearei|       'I'liey 


n  IS  I  ((uv  i»r  I' II  i; 


2iia 


Mi:iLc  :i  f(.iiMilii:ililc  liL.'iiir  ill  llic  «;irlii  T  journals,  and  ucic  [irnLalilv 
a  liraiii'li  i>|  ||ir  l*(ilta\\atiiiiirs. 


'I'll.    Ill 


^  |{iMi-  liiriiislicM,  t'lir  iiiaiiv  \tar-,  the  |ii°iiii'i|ial  ((um- 
iiiiinii°atiuii  lilt  Ai'i'ii  llir  l.akrs  and  llir  MiFisissiiiiii,  ami  was  tin- 
I'liiiiirrliiio    liiianirnt    w  liii'li   lirlil    tn<jrtlicr   llir    l''ri'ni'li    [iiissi'NNions 


III  (aiiail  I  and    Lniiisiaiia      'I'lic  Indians,  tltiri'f 


npiin  tliis  iiiii 


Will'  r:U'l\  kllKWII  111  ill!'  I'li'lirll,  w  lia  dr\  ittril  'Jli  il  care  and  allrli- 
limi  to  iIm'Iii  Nil  riri'llinstaiiri'  rMT  iirriiiii  d  tn  |liti'iril|il  llirir 
iiinliril  liariiiiinv.  and  llir  IIIii!>>in  Indians  a[i|M;ii°  In  lia\r  linn 
iiniin'j    llir    inildt'sl   nl'  tlir   al)iirii;iiiiii  rurr.      'I'lii'V  uatiu'i'i'd    mnnd 


llir    !■ 


I'l'Urli    |iiisls,    aiiMiins    In   sfciiri'    |irntrrliiih- 


-lillt 


a  sciii'S  (if 


ahiinilirs  |iiirsnrd  llniii.  iinr\aMi|ilcd  r\i\\  in  tlir  aUiriLriiial  liisliiry. 

nil         III  |i  111    llir  |i(i\Mr 


and  v\liii'li  linalh  li'd  In  llu  ir  rnlirr  dcslrnrt 


n|  I  lie  I  I'm  I  III  II  >  u  av  lilnktli.  llirsr  lii'l'rr  |ii''i|ilr  rari'M'd  1 1  nil'  \  ii'Inriniis 
arms    In    Kir    |lr!lll■ll•^   nl    llii     lllinnis.    as   well    as    III  |lii'    sands   nl' 

rimida.   till'   IlltJU'ril   lulls  nl'    \i'\v    r.nuland.  and    llir  di  rji  Ini-'sts  nf 


(  'aiiaila 


ill 


\  lllai'r 


mil 


'I' 


.1'   tl 


K'sc   ronijiara 


lllVrh 


nil 


Id 


|ii'ii|ilr  wi'i'i  ri°t'i|!ii'ntl\  atUirki'd,  iinii  llu-  inliiiliilai'ts  (IrNlrnvrd; 
and  Inr  inan\   vrars  it  was  rniihidciTd  diiiii>i'rniis  In  pans  alniii_'  tlir 

lllninlK  MlVrr.  Ir-t  llir  Miin/lli  slinllld  slllll  linni  .snni''  sri'lit  I'liM  i|, 
nr  |irn|ri-||||<J    jininl,   In   dn    1  lirll'  drills    n|     linl'lni'.         \lli'l'  llir  dii  llllt* 

nl  llic  rnnlrdiTiii'V ,  a  War  I'nniiniMii'cil  lirlwri  II  llir  Illinois  Indians 
and  ihc  VViniK-lm'jriKs,  and  llir  lallrr  sriil  mans  war  parlii  s  intn  iIt 
Irrnlnrics  111'  llinr  i'IU'Iiiu's       In  nnc  n|  llirsr,  wliirli  Innk  llir   rniilr 


■I    Lake    Mtrliiiran  in   ran 


Iradilioii    sas.s   llial    a    Mnlriit    stnrin 


ai'n>r 


III  wliii  li  si\  liiindrrd  W  iniirliann  waninrs  iiriislin 


\l 


ii  '<a 


rVllllllKllnll,  l|n\V<'\rr.  lid   In  llir  il 


nr  nl  tills  rnntrst,  Mill    lirarr  d|i| 


nut  \  isit  llirsr  fair  and  trriilr  irninns.  'llir  Sankirs  and  l'n\rs, 
iinalilr  tn  live  a  llir  nl  prarr,  al'lrr  tlirlr  sin;nal  disruinlilnrr  liy  t'lir 
I'rriirli  and  llirir  ■  nnrrdrratnl  allirs  iipnii  I'nx  Hivrr,  l<Hik  up  ihr 
tninaliavsk  auaiiisl  tlir  lllinniH  trilNs,  and  jirnsi'i'iilrd  tlir  vvarlarc 
Willi  ripial  M'jnr  and  I'nrv.  Tlu'V  |iniiird  llirir  war  jiarlin*  nMr  llir 
vK  Imlr  I'niinl.  \      iiiii'iiiii'j'.  nini'drrinn,  and  di  »trii\  in^       'I'lir  llliiinis 


^70 


IMilAN     IKIUKS    ol'    Ndini!    A\li;!{|(\. 


IikIi.'iiis  wi'i'i'  :iIimii>I  rxlcnniiiiiti'd.  'I'lir  t'l-i  lili  r<'iiiii:iiit  lli;it  siir- 
viviil  iiiili'iiMn'i'il  to  iiitrrc>t  the  I'mn'li  in  llirir  \':\\i<y.  mikI  ilnv 
SOIIirllt  |llMlrilici|i  liinlcr  tllf  \SU\iS  i>\  their  |m)>I.v.  Mit  live  I'niirli 
dill  Mill  ciiHsiilir  it  |i(i|ilii'  til  iiiti  rlri'f  ln'twcni  tin-  ciii.lcinliiiH 
parlii's,  III,  jii'i'liaps,  t'clt  iiiialilc  tn  st:i\  tlir  tiilr  i>t' \  ir1tir\  :  iiiid  llirsc 
iiid'nr'tiiiiiilr  Indians  wi-rr  aliandnnrd  tn  tin  ir  im  irdr»  ■  mrnKs 


III'  ,^anUs  an 


I  I' 


lives,  kniiwn  tu  the 


lh 


'anl\ii'.-<  am 


Otta'j^aniies,  were  <iii;,nnall\  dislim  t  triiies.  Cireiiiuslann's  have 
|ii'ndiii'i'il  an  intimate  iiiiinii  lietNueii  tlieiii,  and  in  their  niatiniis 
\vitii  the  iillier  Indians.  tlie\  ina\  lie  i  oiixideied  as  liiiii,iii<j  Iml  mie 
Inhe  The  distiiietiiiii  In  en  thein  t^  <>Mi°\  (lav  ui^iiiL!  \\a\  111 
time  and  tu  mutual  intt  renurse.  and  in  a  leu  \rars  all  diircieiiee 
will  he  linkmnvii.  'I'lieir  eniinlry  is  ii|<i>n  the  Mis>issi|i|ii,  exteiid- 
inir  trmn   tlie  Jhn   Mnims  In  the    Inw; 


l{iv 


er,  and  strelelnni'  west- 


anllv  ImmhiiI  the  ('cniinil   llliitrs.  iiimhi    the  Mi.» 


n.  aim  into  the 


illinicnse  piiiiries*  |HTiiMlieally  visited  h\  the  hiiHalu  The  Sanks 
and  l'o\es.  like  all  the  IndiaiiH  oeeiipx  iii<r  lei^inns  winre  these 
animals  reMut.  annnalh  hunt  them  in  the  |ii°i>|ier  seasnii.  This  is 
(heir  harM'>t,  vieldini;  lln'iii  ahiindanee  dl"  me  it.  whieh  thcv  dr\ 
and  lraiis|)cirt  In  their  villai;es  I'nr  the  suhsisteine  nC  their  laiiiiiii's. 
At  those  |ieii(H|>»  thn-e  iinrii' use  level  plains  are   iilerallv  Mli\e  with 


I' 


nN  (III 


ic   rfiiiiiT  kiiiiw>,   lire  '■vli-lisi\i',   iiiii'>illi\,ili'il   trails   <•! 


\v(iii(li-i!,  liM'l  i-iiiiiiir\.  Tlifj  !ili(iiiiiil  ill  (jriiss,  aiiij  in  (lovvcrfi  nl'  v\<v\  liiir. 
Sii  I'Mi'Msivt'  arc  iiiiist  nt  tlii'iii,  as  to  |iri'si'iit  iiiii|iiii(;  luit  tin-  liori/iui  Inr  ilif 
r_\i'  III  ii-st  ii|iiiii,  save  lirrr  aiiil  llii-ri'  a  iriiivr  nf  iri-is,  ii'Tiiililiii);  Miiall  i'-liiiiiK 
ill  till'   iii'iMii;    anil   siiiiii-liiii('>  a  Inii^iii-   iif  VMiinlhniil,  Imikii  i;  like   a  nijM', 


■(//■(i'.|ii'>  ill 


iipiiii  il 


II'  iiiilirnki-ii  Mirlat't', 


111. 


••i-rvr  ill.'  Iravrllir  fir  lainliiit,'- 


p^#«.  Id-  rc-joifi'N  at  ^i|r|,t  nf  tlifin,  as  ilnrs  ilic  iiiarincr  at  .slight  of  laint. 
'V\ury  «Im'I'>  r  liiiii  Ooi'ii  lilt'  Kun  anil  tic  .vn,  and  Hii|i|ily  l>i^  fuel, 

Kcw  ni^iK  .ire  -Ki  Ix'^ithfiil  it*  ihi'M'  savannas,  vvlicn  tlicii  liiMiiiant  ('rii|)  i.i 
|iul  III  Hi'iliiili  l>\  flic  wiml,      Fkic  iinilulHliotiK  sire  lilciall>  llnucr}  liilliivvK. 

Till'  irri'Witi    il'  lilt'  |>rairi>>  wc  Iimvc  rtoourA,  avcrai;cil  In  licifflit  aliuiit  live 


led.      Sii'iirliliir^    liiiM'cvcr,  il  trAr\\ntiit\ 


and 


IICV  I'll    ll'Cl. 


r 


IIISToHY   or    TlIK 


!?! 


I'iMMilltws  liliillMillils  lit  llinsi'  iiliiinuls,   wlirli  llit'   wliuli'   lllilillll  piipll- 

I  iliipii  iii'j;;iL;<"i  in  llu-  ;iiiiiii;tliii!,f  l:i>K  n\'  liniiiiuLf  tin  m  TIhii'  tlrsli 
is  ilii'  liiiliiiiis'  I'ihnI  ;  ;iiiii  llii'ir  .-^kiiis  riinii>ii  ('|titliiii|r  iiiul  ti-itls. 
\\  III)  (III*  iiiti  niii|i:i'|-:ililr  :iM'i>iiiii  of  tlic  ImliaiiN  to  htlMti',  it  is  ditli- 
riilt  til  ciiiurivf  liiiw  tiifv  riMihl  siiltsist,  wcrr  it  imt  liir  tlirsi-  Ii\  in;,' 
;inil  itliiiii<l;iiit  harvcMts,  sent  in  tlii'.liiuir  ul' iirnl. 

'I'lir  |iniiri|ial  rrMililirr  ut  tlir  l'ii\'->  isalmiit  I  )lllMI(|llr's  \'llir.s, 
nil  llir  Mlss{>M|i|ii  ;  (it  lllr  Sar>.,  m;ir  tlu'  llMUltli  ul  Ui"  k  |{|\ir, 
'I'lir  iiiiiirral  I'l'iiimi  ilrsiijiiatril  \i\  till  alHivi' title,  r\t('iiil)i  \M  ^twai'il 
III  llir  Missi>si|i|i|  'I'lir  ll|iliaii>  lilM  Irariinl  tllf  \iillli'  ii|  li;ul 
uii' ;  tlii'ir  wiiiiii'ii  (li<.r  It  III  riiiiMilri-aliii-  i|imiititirN,  ami  mII  it  tn  tin- 
tiMili'is  'I'licsr  liidiaiis  air  iTiiiuikaltlr  rmtlii'  s\  iiiiiiilrv  1)1'  tliiir 
liii'iii.  ami  .iiii'  |ii  I'Miiial  a|)|M'ai'aiii'r.  I''t'U'  .>l  llir  tiiliis  irMinlili 
!  !"-in  III  tlicM'  |iaitiiiilais  ;  Mill  Irwir « i|iial  llnii- iiitrf|tiilitv  Tiny 
aiv,  )iliyNi<-iillv  and  nioiallv,  anioii^  \\u-  most  Mrikiiii;  nt'  tlu-ir  lurii. 
'riii'it' liisturv  alitinnds  w  itii  dariiii.'  and  drs|ii'ratc  iiiIm  nliircs  and 
I'oiii mill'  iiirid('itt^<,  lar  licvimd  llir  iimiiiI  ((iiiisi'  nl  Indiiiii  t'M.rtiiiti. 
'i'lirir  |i(i|iiilati(in  is  alioiil  six  lliniisiitid  six  liiindrcd. 

\\\  llic  rarlicsl  arriiiiiits  iif  tiiiiM'  lilliis  thai  !ia\i  i'iikii-  dnw  li  t<i 
lis.  ll|i'\  i|i|i(:i|-  to  lia\r  iii'i'il|i|i  '  I  a  |iail  nl  tllr  |M'lllllsula  i>l  Mli'lil- 
if  III  SauMiaii  Hay  is  iiainrd  iVdiii  tlic  Sanks,  Stiiil,ii-iiu)i\  ur  S.kiK 
Town — lliat  Irivinv,'  Ihtii  tlir  |iiinri|ial  scat  ot  tlnir  |iiK,ir  'riit- 
I'lixiw,  or  <  Hl-iu;aiiiiis,  Will'  always  rrstlcss  and  di  luiitrnti-d  Isli- 
111 1  iiti's  lit  llir  Laki's,  tlii'ir  liand  a'jaiiis'  ru  r\  in  in,  and  i'\ir\ 
III  III  N  hand  aL;aiiist  iIhiii  I'lniii  some  caiisr  iitiivtniw  n  In  iin. 
|iri>lii'iU  tViiin  tlirir  ovvn  tui'liiiliiit  and  jraloiis  dis|Misitiiin.  iImv 
urrr  caiiv  dissalislird  \Mlli  llu'  I'iiihIi,  and  a\o\\ri!  tlirir  attarli- 
iiu'iM  to  tlir  Kiiylish.  'I'Iun  iiitri'^iiid  with  tlir  othrr  trilH-  in 
\|ir|  thr  I'irinli  lioin  tlic  roiintrv  ;  and,  hv  tlnir  rH'orts,  a  iirilisli 
ili'tailiini'iil,  iiiidrr  Major  ( irrtjor\,  towards  tin'  rjosr  ot  the  srvin 
'rciilli  rriiliirv ,  riiliiii!  I.akr  II II  mil  wi  III  a  \  irw  to  i  slalilisli  Iradiiit; 
"•"ijiilatioiis  svitli  till!  Indians.      Thi'V  \mii',  liovvuvt-r,  attarkr  I,  tlmiiifh 


"n 


INDIAN    TKIIiKS   OT    NUUTll   A.MLKIfA, 


ill  ;i  tiiiii'  of  pi'iirc,  l>y  llicir  vigiliiiit  rivals,  ami  comiHUcd  In  altiiii(ion 
lilt'  loniilrv. 

'I'lir  I'Vciirli  niiiiiMriicnl  a  |ii'riiianrat  t'.stahli^llrll('llt  n|)(iii  tlic 
l)i  tiiijt  Kivcr,  ill  ITitj,  anil  thr  allriihjtt  was  early  rrj^aiiU'd  witlj 
jialniisy  liy  tlir  I'ums.  In  ITlvJ,  llicy  i-.tlarKnl  the  plarr,  tlini 
\\<ak,  Im>i1i  ill  its  (lilciucs  ami  its  garrison.  'I'licy  ucie,  linwrMr. 
repulsed  ill  an  ellorl  t<i  earry  it  liy  a  nmp  di  ninin  ;  and  tlieii  m- 
diMVored   to  set   it  on   lire   liv  diseliar-jiiii.'  iitjlited  arrows  into  the 


roi 


•Is,   wliii'li    ,vcre   lliatelitd  witli   sir.iw       In    this,   too.  tlie\ 


iViivliMlicl    l>v   llir   \ijfilanee  ol'   the    I'n 


liiil    not   diseoiirauiM 


'I'Ihn  toii|\  a  |io>ition  adjoiniii'^  tile  to\ui  ileterniiiie<i  to  liarass  tlie 
ifirrison.  and  e\eiitiiall\  to  I'ompel  their  surrender.  This  position 
the\  rortilled,  and  in  it  seeiireil  their  families  and  jirovisions.  Diit 
while  this  \..isdoino;,  the  I'l'ineh  were  not  idle  They  despatched 
iiiessenu:ers  to  the  varinis  trihes  upon  whom   thev  eonld   rely — to 


the  \\  \andi>ts,  the  Ol'auas,  the  I'ottawaliiiiies,  and  the  (  'hi 


I'l" 


stating  their  periloMs  enhdilion.  and  reipiiniiL;  their  assista"ee. 
Tlie^e  tril..  •  soon  eolleeted  their  warriors,  and  ponied  tlu'in  in  to 
the  assistanee  of  the  I'Veiieh.  The  I'oxes  were  driven  into  their 
eiitreiH'hed  positions,  and  redined  to  e\treinit\.  At  the  moment 
ol  tlieir  Lireatesl  hazard,  a  \  ioleiit  siorin  arose,  durinu  which  ;iiey 
alieidoned  tin  ir  furl  anil  lied  \«  w  /tn S'lia  ish ,  whieii   advances   inii, 


LaK.     St    CJa.:-       Ileiv.  I 


lowever,   they    weie    pursued,   am!   alter  a 


V  itroroiis  resistance  iheir  enemies  (nercanie  them,  pii*  ,a  llionstuid 
ol°  their  u.irriors  to  death,  and  leil  the  women  and  children  into  cap 
tiMlv.  l''roiii  the  narrative  of  these  occnrreii-a's  it  appears  that  al 
diis  (inu'  an  intiniate  union  di  !  not  exist  iietwecn  these  triiies,  for 
a  pari  of  the  Saiilis  liad  joined  tlie  l■"o\e^,  :ind  i  pa  1  of  theiii  IihiIv 
iin  arms  with  the  allied  trihes  tor  the  defeiico  and  relief  of  the 
I'reiieh. 

After  this  severe  cal;iiiiitv,  the   remainder  of  the    F<i\es,  linjetln  r 


wi 


th   tl 


le  San 


iiiurated  to  the  coiintrv  Iietwecn  (ireen    i'»a\  a: 


ihe  Mississippi,  and  establislud  theinsolvcii  upon  l"ov  Uiver.      luit 


IIISIOUV    (I  I'    1!IK 


it  is  ;is  ilill'lrillt  r<ir  tlicni  to  i'|i;iilL;r  llirir  li.ilills.  ;is  it  WOlllii  lie  lor 
till'  iMiiliilii  III'  llirir  iiw  II  |il:iilis  III  slllilllit  <ls  liirk  In  llir  \iil\iv 
'Mil  ir  liii'liiilciil  s|iiril  :irriiiii|miiiril  lll^.^^  iiml  in  ;i  slmi'l  liiiii'  tlnir 
\\:ii'  |i;irlii's  wn'r  m  iil  mil  in  ;ill  ilirri'tiiin>,  ;ini|  liiiv  NrrioiivK 
IlirlilH  I'll  till-  s:ilrl\.  ll  llnl  liir  r\  l>li'ni'r.  nl  tlii'  i'mirii  |in\\rr  A 
rontiiiliilili'  i'\|inliliiiii  u.'is  |irr|i:in'il  I'l  '  tin  ir  nilnrliun,  ;inii  tlir 
iii'i'jIilM'i'inL'  liiiliii'is  wi'rr  inxilnl  In  arrniii|iiiii\  il.  'I'k  tliis  liirv 
rllrrl'llllh  iinsi  lit  .'li,  iijiii  llic  riiliri'iltl'iilrii  liM'i'i's  iliM^li'il  1|m'  |irin- 
r||i:il  t'nri  III'  liir  Sailks  ami  r'ii\rs,  at  llir  Ihilh  ilri  Mints,  or  liii' 
lull  III  llir  ilraii.  Ml  rallril  iVnin  llir  >i'^iial  cliasliMiinnl  tlir\   rrri'i\  ril. 


ml  llir  iiuiiirriiiis  liiiilirs  III   till'  slain  lli.i!  \\\'\<-  iniriid  in  a   n 


imiml 


llirir.     'rill- siir\i\i>rs  wi-rr  litrr  riiliiiTil  In  uinniiililinnal   siiliiiii>- 
Mnii.  aiiil  llirir  pnwi'r  anil  '<|iirils  wlmlis'  limKrii. 

\\\    llirir    valnr   ami    riilrrpriM'    tins    lia\r    Mriinil    a   ili  siralili' 
ri'ijimi  Inr  iIu'iiimIm's.      HiiI  |Iic\   arr  iii\n|\(il   in   aliiin>i    |irr|ti  liial 


lin.xtilitirs    \\illi    llir    SimiN        MiU'r    lliaii    nlii 


I' 


lias    I 


irrll    inli- 


rlililr'l  lii'lui  Til  tlirs«'  Irilirs  iiiiilir  liir  aiisjiicis  nl'  I  lie  I  nitre  I  Stairs  ; 
hill  tli(\  liavi'  really  licrii  lint  lt'iii|iiir  ir\  Iniiis,  IhhIm  ii  li\  llir  rvrr 
rrstlrss  ilis|Mihilinii  nj'  tin-  SaiiKs  anil  I'nvrs  'I'licir  niinilMis  arr 
iiUK'li  iiitcrinr  to  tlin.sr  III"  llir  Simiv;  hilt  llir\  arr  hclirr  arnn  il.  ami 
llirir  liirrr  is  nmrr  rniirrnlratril        Till    SlniiV   arr  i||\|(|ril   mill  lar,f|' 

haiiils,  williniil   a   \rl'\    inliinalr   |iii||li(:il  rmi tlnll.aiiil   liirir  {ii'Wrr 

is  sprrail  n\rr  a  M  rv  r\trl|si\r  riiilnn  'I'llr  SanlvS  ami  I'nNrS 
liavr  llir  riirlluT  ail\ aiita:ji'  nf  "rralrr  rmiraur  ami  rnnriilriirr.  a 
liitilnr  ir|inlatiiin,  anil  tirralrr  r\|M'rirnrr  in  w.w.  It  is  |irnhahlr, 
llirrrt'nrr,  tint  linslililirs  will  Iniiir  rnliliniir  hilurrli  lliriii,  w  illiniil 
aii\'  \i  "v   ilrriilril  aiUan'a'jr  nil  rillirr  siilr 

Tlir  Mrlinlllinirs,  nr  I'lillis  .trnnns,  (irrii|i\  tjir  rnimlrv  ll|iiin 
l"n\  l{i\rr,  ami  i.''in'rally  main  n\i  r  llir  ilivlrirl  liilwriii  (irnii 
Uav  ami  llir  Mississippi,  ami  liv  prrinissinn  nl  ihr  ( 'liippi'w as  aiiil 
Sinu\.  r\lrml  llirir  pri'iiNliral  iiiiiiraliiins  inln  tlir  prairirs  in  pursuit 
n|  llir  hiillaln  |''r\v  nt"  our  triU's  lia\"  lallni  liniii  till  ir  liiijii  rstaln 
innn'  lanii'Mtahly  than  liicsr  Imli  iiis      'I'lioy  arr,  Inr  ihr   irmvi   |i;iii, 


271 


INDIAN     I'lUliKS    or    NOUIII    AMKKKA. 


a   r:i>'i'  n|    liiir   liinkinir    iiM'ii,  iiml    hsiNc   sustainril   a  lii'jr'i  •liuraclir 


.1 


amnii'j  llic  IiiIpcs  ariiuiiu  tliciii. 


Dul  II 


ic  nir.M'  111  aniciil  spii'ils  lias 


|iassi'!|    (iVi  T  ihrtll, 


ami  w'illirrcd   tliriii.     'I'Ihn'  liavi    vitlilril   to  ll 


(li'struitixf    iijcasiircs  of  tliis  \\  illi{'riii<'    cliaiin,  uilli   an  ciiiffriicss 


am 


I   rci'lvirssmss   iic\<)ml    the   (inliiiar\    rarci  r  oj'  even   savaurs 


'I'licri'  i>,  |i('rlia|>s,  no  trilic  ii|miii  all  our  Imrdi'is  sd  iiUi  il\  aliaii- 
ilniicil  111  tluMiT  of  II 'dxicalioii  as  llic  MciKHiiiiiirs ;  nor  au\  so 
ilrLTaili'il  ill  llii'ir  lialiils.  ami  so  iiii|ii'o\  jiirnl  in  all  iIicH' cone  >riis. 

'riit'ii'  laii'j:iiaL;'f  lias  loiiu;  riiriiislicd  a  Miliji'it  of  doiilit  iiml  dis- 
riission.  aiiioiiij  lliosii  ciitratfcd  in  iiiM'sliLfatioiis  into  the  pliiloloifv 
ol  llii'  Indians.  Uv  inain  it  lias  Ih'cii  sii|i|ios('d  tliat  tlicir  lanu'iiaLir 
is  an  oi'iLiin  ll  one.  |it'i'nliai'  lo  ihcinsi'Ixcs,  and  liavin-i  no  alliiiits 
Willi  diosc  s|io!\('ii  li\   llic  Indians  ol  that  <|iiartrr;  and  that  in  tlicir 


'oniinnniration  \\\ 


th   ll 


II'    nri 


ulii 


Millllir 


trill 


tlirv  iisr  a  dialciM  o 


llir  ( 'lii|i|ir\va   lantriiaL;!',  u  Iiumi,  aiiioni''  the  nortli-wi'stcin 


diaii 


is  what  llir  i''rriiili  lanuMiairc  is  ii|ion  tin-  contincnl  ol'  Knro|ii'— » 


ijcnrral    inriinini    ol    I'oniinnmi'alion 


W 


llov\i'\r 


'atisticd 


llial    dir    |ii'o|irr    .Mmoininir    is 


itsi'M    hut    a    hiaiich    ol'   IIiIn   urral 


stork         It 


s    nioi 


Ir   ol' 


|)niiinnriatioii   anions    ihcinsrivi's   ^ncs   it    a 


|i('(iiliar   chaiMili' 


and    almost    r 


onccals    ll 


s     resell 


ihl 


Hire 


to    th 


(■o._rn  lie  ill  ilecl.      ll    IS   ai'eoiii|iaiiit'd   by  smunlar  irnttiiral   soiiiids. 
not  harsh,  like  lliat  of  the  W  yandols  or  the  Sioux,  hut   rather  jilei 
saiit  :  and  ihe  aeeeni  is  plaied  dill'ereiith   I'loni  Ihal  of  all  llie  oilier 


t'ainil 


les    o 


r   this    stork 
d 


Ti 


lose  \\  ho   are    not    aw; 


ol    the   cliaii'ji 


wlihh  I- III  oe  inane  in  a  laiiLrnaLfe,  l)\'  iliaii'jiii'j  the  ai-ieni  iijinn 
e\irv  word,  may  easily  satish  iheinselves  hv  makiiiL'  tin'  I'Vpeii- 
nieiit  in  l')ii<r|ish.      It  will  lie  ronml,  thai,  in  oiir  |'olvs\  IJaliii'  wurd^ 


|iar1ii'iilarls'.  the 


it    iiia\     lie   so   chantiiil    iis   lo  dis'_/ni«ie   linn 


•ntirelv.   and    to    n ml 


W 


It    'lillii  iih    to   d 


iseirii    the    oriiiin 


lorin 


leii  to  tills  iieriiliir  '_niHiiral  miiiihI,  and  this  svsleiu  o|   areenln: 


lion,    are    added    Hie    oilier  lanses,    eonslanlU'   o|)er.iliii'.!    uiinii    tin 
Indian  laniini'/es,  and  |irodiiriii'4  tiieir  recession  rroiii  one  aiinlhcr 


Ills  louv  OF  nii: 


we   siia 


I]    1 


III' 


llic  firniiiistiuu'cs  tliat    liiivo  (■(nitiilmtcii   |(»  tlic 


i'\isliii'4  (•liiiiMclcrislics  III  lilt!  .MciKiiiiiiiic  l:iiiifii;iui-. 

riicsi-   liKJians  (ii-rivi!  tlirir  iianii',    Fitlli-s  Arnims,  nr  tiil> 
iViMii  iln-  iDciuis  iif  siilisisli'iicc  riiriiishcil  lo  tlicni  li\  tlif  wild  inr 


oats, 


Ih'ir  I'Diiiiti'N  alxiiiiiil-s  witli   it 


*rii\  l(lr|||-( 


as  i^ivni  till 


>    M'fr- 


liltli'  to  till'  Mnrllu'rii  ri-<rii>iis.  It  is  sown  williont  liamis,  raisnl 
witlioiit  rai'i',  anil  i(allii-ri*il  with  liltir  troiiMi*.  It  is  an  annual 
|il:iiil,  wliii'li  ili'lii^lits  Ml  till!  still,  sliallow  lalvis,  loriiii'il  \>\  iiiiniiroiis 
slnvinis  tliat  wiiui  tlnir  way  llii°oii<.;li  tlir  IimI  idiint'.'ics  ot  tin* 
iKntlt-wrst.  Wlirn  ri|»r,  llif  i;imiii  (alls  iiiln  tln'  water,  ami. 
yrulnally  siiikinti  to  tlir  hottoin,  ninam.s  tluir  ilnnn^  tin-  winti  r, 
wlntii  it  '^rriniiiatcs.  It  rist's  alKivc  tlu!  wati-r  to  ii|)i'n,  hut  (Khjs  not 
|iossi>ss  tli«>  qiialitv  wliirii  liflon^s  Id  many  aijualii'  |itaiit.s,  of  arconi- 
nioilatintr   itsi-lf  t<>  tlic   lisr  ami  tall  of  the  watri's,  anil  tliiis  roniiiiLi 


top 


•rfurliiMi  fi|nally 


III  ijrv    iiul  in  vM't  srasoiis 


It  soin*>ttni(-s 


ia|i|>i>ns   tliat    tiir    watrrs    rise    alio\i'    tlic    mam,  wlirii    It    prnslii 


i  liicli 


I    iiroiiiuTs 


'I'l'at    i||>ti'rss    aiiloii'' 


til 


liKlians. 


Tl 


IIS 


rraiii 


ripi'iis  in  llir  last  ol'  Aii'^iist  ami  iM't^inniiii,'  of  SiptcinlH-r.  It  is 
i,Mllii'r(!d  liy  till"  fcnialfs,  who  inovr  aniiiist  this  haivrst  in  Itaik 
fanot's,  am!  hi-niliiiif  liu'  stalks  dvit  tlii-ir  siilcs,  siiaku  tin'  <j;raiii 
lioni  tliir  tsar,  or  heat  it  oil'  with  stirks.  'I'ln-y  separate  the  husk  \n 
piittinif  the  whole  in  a  skin,  where,  alter  it  is  iir\  eiiony;h,  it  is 
Iniilileii  out. 

We  ha\e  traverse'l  these  lakes  in  the  same  kiiul  of  vessels  ein- 
ployeil  liy  the  Inilians,  when,  to  the  eye,  they  [iiit  on  the  appearanee 
<ii'  iiiimeiise  lielils,  the  siirfaee  ol"  the  wali'r  lieini;  entirely  invisihle. 

I  the  eaaoe,  as  it  was  foneil  tiirmiiih  this 
The  >j:raiii   is  very  palatal)le,  ami   makes 


I'Meiit  imiiit'i 


lintel 


V  aroiini 


h  ami  wa villi'  harvest 


<i  milritiniis  article  of  fooil,  ami  when  tluvshed  out  without  heiiii; 
plai-eil  in  a  skin,  or  sultniitteil  to  the  aetioii  of  smoke,  it  is  as  plea 
saiit  as  tlie  eiiltivateil  nee. 

I'^li   tile   lalior  of  ifallii  riiiL    ami    pr<serviii^  this  artii'Ii'   is 


A I 


lioi 


>f!ry  lit'.le,  ytst  .such  is  the  inilolenee  of  those  to  whom   it    has  oeeii 


27(!  INDIAN    Til  I  HI'S    (»!'    Ndinil    WIKHKA, 


'III,  t'     t  till'    1)  \N    Iki'js  lull  xvliii'li  cui'li  tiiMiiK    iiiiis   sri-iM't'.  I 


li'riiliic 


Minii  r\li;iii>l(il.  It  iarcl\  li;i|i|i(iis.  ImWfVi  I',  lliil  :iii\  tliiliL.'  is 
UMiiii'il  li\  tlic  ('\|i('ni'iif('  '>!  llii'sf  |ir(i|ili',  I'or  llii'  w.iiiis  ul'  n.u' 
>r;is(iii  iii'MT  (i|U'ralt'  lo  pnMliicc  !ji";i(r!'  cMilioits  in  natln  ruin  tlif 
iK'i',  di'  iiilililiniial  ('I'lHiiiiiiy  ill  tlir  use  nt'  it,  in  a  siicci'cilinir  on,.. 
'I'lir  |pri"lui'r  iif  iiiillinii>  ii|  ai'i'fs  III  this  |ni  1  imis  |ii'iHliirtiiiii  aii- 
tllialK  |liriNlirs.  It  is  allnwril  In  \\a>ti'  iIm'II  U|iiin  tlir  W  alris, 
li'.'rallM'  thr  Imlian'^  ai'r  too  inilnlrlit  :iliil  tun  iliijil'iix  lilriit  tii  rcrcivc 
it  jViini  thr  lianii  ul' nature.  'I'licv  lia\t'  |l■s^  iniliistiv  ami  |ii-ii\  idiiit 
ai'raiiL;i'm»  111  than  thr  licaxcr  or  the  ant.  lie  who  is  »naiiiiiiTii  ul 
sa\a'_rc  liii'.  nr  w  Im  iprlir\rs  that  all  tlu'  iiiiscrv  nt' tiiir  almriuiiial 
|irii|ih'  IS  iiw  iii'j  111  till'  rniniiiu  ul  thr  w  liitvs  ainiinL,'  tin  in,  iiiav 
risll\    i'hall'_'i'  thrsr    u|illili>lis    li\    sUIM'\  I IIU   tllrir  I'lMlilltlull,  stai'N  i  Ilii 

ami  ih  iiiir  iluniiL:  tlir  wintrr,  linaiisi'  lliry  arr  ti«i  la/\  to  stirli  li 
uiit  iht'ii'  lian  Is  in  autuinn.  ami  i^athrr  tin-  liai'M'st  w  hirli  a  liriii  lii'riit 
j'l'iiN  lili'llic  Ins  jilai'iil   lirlui't'  thrill. 

'\'\>r  Mrlinlllinirs  uiiUJiy  thr  sailir  sjtliatluli  IliiW  that  thr\  illil 
whin  thr\  lil'^t  III  r  inii'  Knuvvii  Id  thr  wllllis.  'I'hrv  SI  Tin  tu  hr 
laMiiiIrs  \'.  itli  all  llic  aiijiiiiuii'^  Imhaiis,  anil  liiiiil  U|iiin  linir  nw  n 
liinl,  anil  ii{M>n  that  ul  utliriv-..  wilhuiit  lii'sitatiun  anil  withunt  runi- 
|ilainl.  'i'lirx  air  I'i'ilurril  til  aliuiit  luiir  thuiisanil  tun  hiinili'iil 
|irl"siiiis. 

\ll   till     tllhrs  whiisr   liistii|'\    \\i-   ha\r   slli.'.iltlv    skrli  Inil.   lirluliij    In 

IvMi  ililliiriit  stiiiKs— thr  \\  \  iiH  li  it.  ur  1 1 'iii  ill  :  ami  tin  ( 'li;|i|irw  .i. 
iir  \l'_'i'ni|iiiii  Hut  till'  Siiiii\  a|i|iiar  In  lia\r  nut  thr  sli'_!litr>t 
all'iiiits    ^^ltll   titlii  r  ul    llirsi    I'aiiiilii-,  am'    iiii'luili'  a  .sinaratc   diss 


if  trihi's  aii>l 


aii'iiiaiji's. 


Tlnir  iiriniinl.  -im'.   cvrii   tn   this  (la\, 


till  ir  |ii' iii'i|)il   rrsiilnirc,   is  west  iif  thr    Mississi|i|ii  ;    Imi   th  •   |i.i 
ti"ii||\  inir    IiiIh'    llsrll      iri'liims   runslilrialilf    Irrritiirirs   I'isI    iifthil 


river;     ainl     u 


ic    ul     the    rii!ili;.1i'     lir  iiii'lu's,     tin'    \\  liim 


liiiTiii's,     IS 


riiliri'U     east    u|     it.       'I'liesi'     t\M>    Inlies.    llieri'rnre,    are    liiuiiL;!it 
within    the    U^euijfraiiliieal    limits    we    lia\e     [iresi  lilieil    tu    uiiisil\r» 

'Jlie  r*«U)ii.v  SLriii  tu  iicciij)}  a  .similar  ixtsitimi  with  relalioii  to  llif 


iii.NiuKV  or   III!; 


trilics  west  nf  t)it>  Mi.s.MsM|t|ii  w  liii  li  tin-  (.'lii|i|)i'\\  as  dCi  ii|i\  lo  ilu.sii 
fast  ofllial  rutr.  IJnili  cvlriid  u\(  r  an  iiiiiiifiiM'  n  uk'h  of  iuimlr\ , 
ami  \\w  laii^iia^r  >|i(J\rM  l)v  cacli  a|)|i<iii's  to  lir  the  lonl  iVorii  wlmji 
llir  ail'ilialril  ilialnMs  ol'  llic  slm-k  liavi'  s|iniiiu.  W  illi  a  kiiuw  ii'il^r 
•  >l  llic  ( 'lii|i|ii'\\  a,  a  ti'a\  I'llrr  iiiit^lil  Imlil  rdiiiiiiniiii'.ilinn  willi  iiiii>t 
<>r   lllc  II'iIm'S  Wllliill  till    OI'lL^|li:il  tl'I'I'lliil'V    iil'llir    i    llltnl   States;    ami 

witli  a  know  Ifiluc  of  thr  Sioux,  lie  iiiitilit  alsn  riiiiniiuiiii  atr  witli  a 
iiirat  iiiajnrity  nl'  the  Irild's  in  tlic  ti'aiis-Mi>.M>M|i|ii  i  mintrv .  'I'liiii' 
laiiLTuaircs,  li<i\\t'\ri',  an-  lailii-allv  ilill'tTriit,  aiicj.  in  llir  iircsiiil  >\.,\c. 


lit  iiiir  l\ii(i\\ 


IimI 


U"'  < 


lit 


M-   Sll 


ilil'fl, 


iiiav  Iti'  I'liiiMilciril  |)riiiiitivc 


'I'lu'  Si(Mi\.  so  railed  hyllie  I'reiieli,  iVnin  tlie  lust  s\llaiile  (it' 
.\(iinl(iiirSKft ,  tlie  ( 'lii|i|ii'\\a  tiiiii  li>r  emiii\,  ami  em|ilialiiMii\ 
a|i|ilie(l  li\  tlic  ( 'lii|i|ic\\a.s  lu  their  lieretliiaiv  ('iieinies,  are  Knnvsii 
to  tlieiliselvcs,  J'Imi,  limler  tlie  tle>luiialio|l  of  l)<i/iii,fti/i. 

'I'liis    nation    is    now    ili\iileil    intu    two   uii.ti    jiinl    imie|ieiiiieiil 


laiiii 


lie: 


vill 


no     pulltle: 


oiiiieetloli     ami,     until     \('r\     reeeliti\, 


riiufaift'd    in   a   Imm   eoiirse  o|'  lio-tilitie.s.       'I'liere  are  tlie  |);i 


di 


|ini|ier,  illd  the  .\s>niliiollis,  or,  a.s  the\  call  the  iii>ii\es,  llnliiii/. 
'i'lie  separation  looiv  plaee  at  no  distant  period,  and,  no  doiilit, 
ori'jinuted  in  one  of  tliiwe  doinestie  lends  lowliieli  all  liarliaions 
people,  having  no  re'^iilar  code  ol'  lau,  iiioials,  or  n  hi; ion,  are 
pecnliar'\'  liable.  'I'lic  slory  is  \ery  iVeshlv  icinemliercd,  and  each 
parts  repeals  Its  own  .eisinn  ol  it.  The  Assinilinms  detailn  d 
theinscives  iVoiii  their  kindred  hands,  and  einiunted  to  the   coiiiitiN 


iijMin 


the  A 


ssinil)oiii 


Ui\. 


II 


ere    thev  reside,  stretcliiiiii    into   Ihi 


llmlson  I)a\  territories  on  the  one  side,  and  to  the  Missouri  on  tin' 
other.     'I'heir  nninhers  are  estimated  at  eitdil  thousand.      In  their 


Iriiiits   thev    are    erialie 


Tl 


ie\     raise    no   a: 


ricnltuiai    ariK  ie.   hul 


snhsist   en 


lirel 


V  on 


the    hnll'alo,  whose   countless    herd 


s  roam   o\ir 


those    trackhss    regions,   olic\  im. 
•1 


tl 


le    insana 


hie    1; 


iws    of    nature 


w  Inch  impel  them  Irom  south  to  north,  and  Iroin  m 


nil  t 


o  south,  as 


th 


{real  1 


d'ocesses  o 


f  sllhsistel 


ce  and  repritdm  tion  reipiire 


T 


imxlc.  described  hy  travellers     it'dri\ini>'  tlustt  liuinials  into  a  kind 


278 


iNDiw   iiiiitr.s  or  Noll  III  .\Mi:i{i('A. 


1)1   t'liildMirc,  iiiailr  li\   |i 


lies  isllli'k    ililii    till'    L.'1'nllllil 


1:11  h    iioii'  siir- 


(illliili'il    li\    :i    |ilr('('    III'  lull,  :iliil   ill\rrL!lli'4    l>)'*'    1^^"    lllirs    ll'uili   ;t 


|ii>iiit, 


sirliis 


ti>    I 


lli\r    1)1' 


i'Miiiiti'il  uitli  till'  A>>iiiilM>iiiM,  if  it  is  nut 


|)i'r(iii;ir  til  tlii'tii.  'I'licsd  |Hi|i'.s  air  jiliiri  d  in  tin-  ui'iiUliil  iil  tlu' 
ill>liilii  r  III  iilMiiit  six  Icct  iVnili  Ciirh  iillirr.  it  is  ii|ii)ii  tlirsc  tiii' 
IHAMrliil  iiiiil  rnrimis  aiiitiiiil  ntslirs,  ;iiiil  Im  ri.,iir.>s  iiii|ii-iMiiiri|, 
witliniit  :iii\  rHiii't  tii  jiass  tlir  ti'ililr  lianiiT.  'I'lii'  liuliaiis  jiilliiw 
nil  Ihh'm  liiii'k,  anil  .slaiiirjitt'i'  llinn  in  iiiiiiirii>r  niiiniiri's, 

'I'iii'  Siiiiix.  nr  Dalii-iitali  |)iii|irr,  ()i'ru|iy  tlit!  coiiiitn   lirtwcni  tli,- 
MisMiiiri  anil   .Mis^is>.i|i|ii,  cxtriiiiinLr   iVinn   llic    iiiissrssimis  nl'  ihi' 


Saiiks  ail' 


''i)\rs,    ti)    tlinsr   III    llir    .\ssiiiil)iiin.s    am 


Cli 


iliiiirwas, 


ti)iirliiiii^  west    upDii   till'   Oinaliaws,   liir   Arii-liarcs,  ami    Mamlaii> 


lirv  arr  ili\  hliil  iiitn  si'Nr 


L'liat   liaiiils — the   Mciiilrwalikaiilnan, 


or  l,(i\M  r  S  iiiix,  iir  llins  dii  l.iir  ;  tlir  W  iiuk|iakiiiiti',  nr  |prii|ili' 
will)  slioot  III  ill''  Iravrs;  the  (liiis  </r /ti  I'liiiHisliriis;  tlic  Wank 
patDiir;  tlir  Sislasimiis,  or  |)ci)|)li!  w  lio  travi'l  on  lont  ;  llir  \'aiirtons, 
or  |ii'i)|)lc  will)  IIm'  out  ol  iIikh's;  tlic  'rfloiis.  or  iitiiplf  of  tlir 
priirirs,  ami  tlir  Malipawauiiclntcr,  or  |)ci)p|i'  who  ncvir  fall.  Hv 
ollirrs,  liowi'M'r,  llirsr  divisions  arr  ilillrrriitK  rrpri'scnii'il,  ami  tlir 
iianirs  arr  ratlirr  imlii'alivr  of  loral  siliialioii,  or  soinr  ari'iiliiital 
iialiit,  than  of  any  politiral  assoi-iations.  'I'lir  Sioux  arr  our  |iri)plr, 
prrlrrllv  honioirriiroiis  ill  llirir  laii'jfiiaur,  rliarartrr.  Iialiils,  ami 
institutions,  'I'liry  arr  wamlrnrs  ovrr  tlir  praiiirs,  pnrsiiiiiLf  tin 
liiilValo  as  riiiistanth  as  tlir  Assinilioins.     Onlv  onr  ol   llirir  liamls. 


tlir 
'I'll 


owrr  Sioux,  has  any  llxiil  \illaijrs,  or  prriiiaiinit    haliitatioiis 


•kl 


ir  ollirrs  arr  rrstlrss,  rrr-klrss.  ami  lioiiirlrss  ;    tra\i'rsiiiij  a  ri't;iiiii 


'li 


almost  as  *'\trnsivi<  ami   iinlirokrii  as  Ilit-  ocean   1 


ilsrir. 


Owinii  to 


tlirir  rrinotr  position,  ami  wamlrrinii  liahits,  it  is  ililliriilt   to  asrrr- 
taiii  thrir  iminhrrs.     Thry  arr  ^frnrrally  estiriiatril  at  lit'trrii  ihoii- 


sanii 


A  1 


ii'iii'liniil    1  i'ii\  iili'iii'i' 


as   niaijr    proMsioii    in   tlir  aiiiiiia!  am 


vciiolahlo  kinifiloins,  iimlrr  rvrr\   vari.tv  of  sitiialion,  siiitnl   to  lli 


diniatr,  anil    ailaptnl   to   tlir   uanls  and   s'ljiporl  of  inrn. 


Ill 


r 


ilisroHY  1)1'   iiii; 


27it 


ri\  ili/.iilinii,  tlial  urciit  (IfHlroyt'i' ol  initnral  (li>tiiiiliiiiis,  li:i>  tiiiiLilil 
tliciii  llif  vuliif  i>r  iinliislry,  mid  tin  (•(unliut  nl'  |irii(lciit  lurt'.siulil, 
liarliariiiis  irilii-s,  liavmtf  lew  (ilijrcts  In  cnuam'  tin  ir  attciiiiuii,  ami 
ami  iM'iiiu;  cliirll)  ciiL'^aifrd  in  the  sii|i|)l\ ol' tlinr  [ilivsica!  waiil.s, 
sdiiii  ac(|iiiic  a  iMii'ict  kiinwlt'diff  of  the  aiiitiials  tliat  runin  wiiii 
tliriii  iivci'  till'  I'diiiitrs',  ;iiid  ol'  the  \\rs\  iiM'tliiMis  III'  takiiiL!  '>>id  Kill- 
iii'^  tliriii.  'riii'ii'  irwii  I'li.stiiins  air  Nti'niiM|\  marked  li\  tlnir 
d('|H'iidiMii'r  ii|iiiii  tlirsc  >iiiiri'<'s,  iiiid  tlirir  doiiicslii'  iiiNtiliitii)iis 
jiirtakc  III'  till'  I'li'irarti  r  tliiis  iniprissi'il  upon  llinn.  It  is  dillli  iilt 
In  cniicciM'  linw  tin-  and  deserts  (if  Asia  and  Atiiea  euuld  Ik  tia- 
\ersed  \\itliniit  the  aid  of  the  |iatieMl  and  dneile  eaiiiel  ;  hnw  the 
i.a|ilandei'  enuM  sulisist.  il'  natui'e  had  imt  u;iven  liiiii  the  reindeer; 
nr  the  niiseralile  l']si|iiiiiM  an,  u  Im  warms  Ins  snnw  hiil  with  train 
(III,  and  sidtsists  n|Min  the  carcasses  nl  I  lie  a'piatic  mniisters  stranded 
npnii  his  coast,  conid  live  amidst  his  iiiliiis|iilalile  wilds,  were  not 
these  sn|i|ilies  |ir(i\  identiallv  sent  lor  his  sn|i|Mirt. 

Ill  '.ike  manner,  the  linll'ido  has  lieen    |iro\i(lid    I'nr  the  alinri'jiiial 
tenants  nl'  niir  Lffcat  western  prairies.     These  aiiiinais  suii|il\  lionses, 


elntliini;.   Innd,   and    t'lie 


numernns    are    tlie\,   as    In    det'v    th 


ipiickest  e\c,  j'nllnw-  tliein  as  it  may  over  these  vast  plains.  In  eniint 
Mieiii.  N'nr  are  they  less  rc'jnlar  in  their  hahits  and  movements, 
than  tlie  shoals  of  miifratnrv  lislies,  which,  cominu;  Ironi  lli<<  recesses 
(>r  the  de"p,  visit  dill'ereiil  coasts,  t'nrnishin;^  a  cheap  and   ahniidai  t 

sll  ppl\    nl    1(1(1(1. 

Tiie  Imli  ins  nlall  those  retfions  depend  entirelv  upon  the  InitVale 
I'nr  sniisislence,  and  are  very  expert  in  the  d(  stniclinn  ol  tin  in. 
Mniintcil  nn    licet    Imrses,  the\'   iinrsiie    these  animals,  and   selilnin 


liil  to  Iraiisliv  them  witn  liieir  armws.  Ilms  e(piippeil,  tliev 
pursue  a  herd  until  as  min\  are  killed  as  are  wanted,  \\  hen  tliev 
return,  and.  cnliectm,  ,'"  'nii'.'nes,  and  Ininches  upon  the  hack, 
w!il.-h  are  esteemcil  ll  <■  '.<'.■•■-' 
Ut  the  he  isis  and  iiir  Is    .1  pi-,  ,-. 

Ill    slat  lire,  the    Siniix    '.  .vcced   mir  other   niirth-wc.-«tern   Inlios 


precinns  parts,  tlie\    leave   tiie   carca.ss 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  W=ST  MAIN  ilREET 

WEBSTtR.N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


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I 


280 


INDIAN   TIIIRES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


They  arc,  in  f^cneral,  woU  formed,  witli  ratlicr  slender  limbs,  and 
exhibit,  as  is  usual  among  tlio  Indians,  few  examples  of  deformity, 
either  natuval  or  accidental.  Until  lately  they  were  clad  entirely 
in  biiifalo  skins,  as  are  yet  many  of  their  remote  tribes.  But  those 
in  tlie  vicinity  of  our  posts  and  settlements  have  learned  the  supe- 
riority of  woollen  clothing,  and  the  means  of  acquiring  it  by  the 
trallic  in  furs.  The  habit  whicli  prevails  among  many  of  them,  of 
wearing  the  hair  long,  and  dividing  it  into  separate  braids,  gives 
them  a  singular  and  repulsive  appearance. 

Their  domestic  animals  are  the  horse  and  dog;  of  these  they  h;ne 
gre.it  uuml)crs.  When  the}'  remove  their  encampments,  their  tents 
of  skins,  j)oles,  and  other  articles  are  packed  up  by  the  women,  and 
drawn  by  the  hor.ses  and  dogs.  All  are  ein])]oyed  in  this  labor, 
except  t!ie  men.  As  sucli  business  would  be  dishonorable  to  them 
tlicy  [)receJo  the  caravan,  witliout  labor  and  without  trouble. 

Most  of  their  political  institutions  resemble  those  of  the  othei 
tribes.  Tliey  have  little  of  either  law  or  govermnent.  The  chiefs 
can  advise,  but  not  conunand — recommend,  but  not  enforce.  I'here 
is  a  .sort  of  public  opinion  which  marks  the  course  a  p.rson  should 
pursue  iirder  certain  circumstances.  If  he  conform,  it  is  well; 
and  if  he  do  not,  except  when  an  act  is  committed  exciting  revenge, 
or  re(piiring  expiation,  it  is  e(pially  well.  In  such  an  emergency, 
tlie  law  of  tlie  strongest  too  often  decides  the  controversy.  Much, 
however,  d'.'pends  upon  the  personal  character  of  the  chief  who 
happens  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  band.  If  he  is  a  man  of  prudenc(^ 
and  firnuiess,  his  representations  will  generally  have  weight,  and 
his  interference  will  go  far  towards  checking,  or  satisfying  tiie 
injury.  The  chieftainship  is  hereditary,  rather  in  families  than  in 
direct  descent.  If  a  son  is  well  (pialified,  he  succeeds  his  iather; 
if  he  is  not,  some  other  member  of  the  family  takes  tlie  post  without 
any  formal  election,  but  with  tacit  acquiescence,  induced  by  respect 
for  talents  and  experience. 

The  same  uncertainty  which  rests  upon  the  religious  opinions 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


281 


of  the  great  AlgoiKiniii  family,  rests  also  upon  tl  osc  of  the  Sioux, 
and  their  cognate  triijes.  Indeed,  it  is  a  suljjecl  upon  which  they 
seem  not  to  rellect,  and  which  they  cannot  rationally  explain.  Some 
nudefuied  notion  appears  to  be  entertained  that  there  are  other 
heings,  corporeal,  but  unseen,  who  exert  an  inlluence  u])on  tlie 
atfairs  of  this  life;  and  these  they  eh)the  with  all  the  attriljutes  that 
li()[)e  and  fear  can  suj)ply.  They  are  propitiated  with  oiferings, 
and  contemplated  as  objects  of  terror,  not  of  love — they  are  feared, 
l)iit  never  adored.  The  storm,  the  lightning,  the  earth{[uake,  is 
e.ich  a  Wah-kon,  or  spirit,  and  so  is  every  unusual  occurrence  (jf 
nature  around  them.  They  have  not  the  slightest  conception  oi'  an 
overruling  Providence,  controlling  and  directing  the  great  oj)erations 
of  matter  and  of  mind :  nor  do  their  notions  upon  these  subjects, 
such  as  they  are,  produce  the  slightest  favorable  elfect  upon  their 
sentiments  or  conduct.  If  the  hunter  sees  a  large  stone  of  unusual 
ap|)(}arance,  he  recognizes  a  Wah-kon,  makes  an  olTering  of  a  piece 
of  tobacco,  and  passes  on.  If  a  canoe  is  in  danger,  he  who  has 
charge  of  it,  throws  out,  as  a  sacrifice,  some  article,  to  appease  the 
olFended  spirit;  and  often  the  frail  vessel  glides  down,  leaving  no 
memorial  of  the  ilanger,  or  the  rescue.  A  rattlesnake  is  a  Wah- 
kon,  and  must  not  l)e  killed  :  even  after  he  has  inllieted  his  terrible 
wound  he  is  suffered  to  live,  lest  his  kindred  siiould  revenge  his 
death!  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  Indian,  whose  original  impres- 
sions liad  not  been  clianged  l)y  intercourse  with  white  men,  ever 
voluntarily  killed  a  snake.  To  call  this  religion,  is  to  i)rostituto 
the  term.  It  produces  no  salutary  eifect  upon  tiie  head  or  heart. 
The.se  puerile  observances,  or  super.stitions,  are  insulated  facts. 
They  form  no  part  of  any  system,  but  are  aberrations  of  the  human 
understanding,  conscious  of  its  coimection  with  another  state  of 
being,  and  mistaking  the  delusions  of  imagination  for  the  instinctive 
dictates  of  reason. 

The  Sioux  iiave,  occupied,  since  tliey  lir.st  became  known  to  tiie 
Europeans,  much  of  the  country  where  they  now  resiile.     For  a 

30 


2»2 


INDIAN    TRIBES    OF   NORTH    AMERICA. 


lonur  period  lliey  have  been  ciigajri'd  in  lioslilitics  with  llic  Cliip 
jicwas,  and  ahhou^li  truces  have  hi-eii  (ifteu  iiiadi-,  no  [)eriiKiiieiit 
recducilialion  has  been  elVected.  In  this  loan  e<m1e.>t.  the  advaii- 
l;iU-e  seems  to  have  l)een  on  the  side  of  the  Ciii.[)[)e\\as,  for  we  are 
told  bv  the  French  travellers,  that  the  Sioux  at  one  time  occupied 
the  coasts  of  Lake  Superior.  From  this  reiiion  they  have  been 
driven  for  generations,  and  the  Ciiippewas  have  obtained  permanent 
possession  of  the  np|)(>r  Mississippi,  and  will,  probably,  push  their 
rivals  still  further  west.  In  that  direction,  also,  the  inidalo  is 
recedin<r;  and  where  lie  ^oes,  the  Siou.x  must  l"ollow ;  for  witliout 
these  animals,  the  plains  of  the  Mississi|)})i  and  Missouri  would  be 
as  uninhabitable  to  the  Indians  as  the  most  sterile  regions  of  the 
globe. 

Tiie  Winnebagoes  occnp\  the  region  between  Green  Bay  and 
tlie  Mississippi,  and  a  eonsideral)le  e.xtent  of  coinitry  upon  this 
river,  above  Prairie  du  Chien.  Here  seems  to  have  been,  during  a 
centurv  and  a  half,  the  period  that  tliey  have  been  known  to  ns,  tlie 
seat  of  tlu'ir  j)ower  and  population.  The  early  French  travellers 
found  them  at  Green  Bay,  and  they  were  here  when  Carver  jier- 
fornied  his  adventurous  journey.  They  have  been  long  known 
among  the  Canadians  by  the  designation  of  Piiaiis,  wiiich  has 
become  their  famdiar  appellation,  and,  doubtless,  owes  its  origin 
tt)  their  lilthy  and  unseemly  habits,  \vliich  have  given  them  a  dis- 
gusting ])re-eminence  among  all  tlie  tribes  that  roam  over  the 
continent. 

If  their  own  tradition  can  be  credited,  they  came,  originally,  from 
the  south-west;  and  some  of  their  peculiar  manners  and  customs, 
together  with  their  language,  indicate  tliat  they  are  not  now  among 
the  tribes  w  ith  whom  they  have  l)cen  most  nearly  connected.  'I'he 
Cbipp(!was,  Menominies,  Sauks,  Foxes,  and  Potta^^•atimi(>s,  bv  whom 
thev  iu-e  almost  surrounded,  and  with  whom  they  are  in  haliits 
of  d;iil\'  intercourse,  are  all  tribes  of  the  AlLi:ou(|uin  stock,  speaking 
dialects  more  or  less  removed  from  that  parent  tongue.     While  the 


HISTORY  OF   THE 


283 


Wiiinebiigoos  arc  cvkleutly  a  branch  of  the  Sioux  fiiiniiv,  tlieir 
language  is  allied  to  that  spoken  by  the  numerous  ti'il)es  oi"  this 
descent  who  roam  over  tlie  inunense  plains  of  the  .Missouri  and 
Mississippi.  It  is  harsh  and  guttural,  and  the  arlicidatioii  is  indis- 
tiiict  to  a  stranger.  It  is  not  easily  acquired  l)y  jiersons  of  mature 
..  and  there  are  few  of  the  Canadians  who  live  among  them,  by 
\'.  )  An  it  is  well  spoken. 

As  a  peoj)le,  their  physical  conformation  is  good.  They  are  liu'ge, 
athletic,  and  w'ell  made — not  handsome,  but  with  symmetrical  forms, 
rather  fleshy  than  slender.  They  will  bear  a  favorable  comparison, 
in  these  respects,  with  any  of  thd  aboriginal  family. 

Their  country  is  intersected  with  numerous  streams,  lakes,  a 
marshes,  in  which  the  wild  rice  abounds.     The  same  subsistence  is 
olfered  to  them  as  to  the  Menominics,  and  the  same  use  is  made  of 
il.     Equally  indolent  and  improvident,  they  arc  the  subjects  of  the 
same  wants  and  sufferings. 

The  Winnebagoes  are  fierce  and  desperate  warriors,  possessino- 
high  notions  of  their  own  prowess,  and,  when  once  engaged  in 
warlike  enter])ri.ses,  reckless  of  all  consequences.  During  the 
difliculties  upon  the  Mississippi,  a  few  years  ago,  there  were 
instances  of  daring  and  devotion  among  them,  which  may  bear  a 
comparison  with  the  loftiest  descriptions  of  Indian  magnanimity 
that  have  been  recorded.*     In  former  times  they  were  engaged  in 


*  Certain  miirdL-r"  were  committed  a\.  Prairie  dii  Cliien,  on  the  upper  Mis- 
sissi])pi,  in  1827,  by  a  party  of  Indians,  headed  liy  the  famous  Winnebago 
ehief.  Red  Bird.  Measures  were  taken  to  capture  the  offenders,  and  secure 
the  peace  of  the  frontier.  Military  movements  were  made  from  Green  Bay, 
and  from  Jctfcrson  Barracks,  on  tlie  Mississippi — the  oljject  being  to  form  a 
junction  at  the  portaga  of  tlie  Fox  and  Ouisconsin  Rivers,  and  decide  upon 
uherio.'  measures.  Information  of  these  movements  was  given  to  the  Indians, 
at  a  coi.  ."il  tiien  holding  at  the  Butte  des  Moris,  on  Fox  River,  ..nd  of  the 
deteri'iination  of  the  United  States  Government  to  punish  those  who  had  .shed 
the  blood  of  our  people  at  Prairie  du   Chien.     The  Indians  were  faithfully 


28i  INDIAN  TRIBES  OF   NORTH  AMERICA. 

lioslilities  witli  the  Illinois  tribes,  and,  associated  with  tlie  8anks 
antl  Foxes,  they  carried  dismay  even  to  the  gates  of  Kaskaskias. 
Ill  tliis  long  and  active  warfare,  the  Illinois  Indians  were  almost 
exterminated.  Many  of  their  bands  have  entirely  disappeared,  and 
those  that  remain  are  reduced  to  a  few  individuals.     The  A\  inne- 


wnrncd  of  the  impending  danger,  and  told,  if  the  murderers  were  not  sur- 
rendcri'd,  war  woidd  be  carried  in  among  them,  and  a  way  eiit  throiigli  their 
eiiiintry,  not  with  axes,  but  guns.  They  were  advised  to  procure  a  surrender 
of  the  guilty  persons,  and,  by  so  doing,  save  the  innocent  from  suffering. 
Runners  were  despatched,  bearing  the  intelligence  of  this  infornuition  among 
their  bands.  Our  troops  were  put  in  motion.  The  Indians  saw,  in  the  inove- 
iiicni  of  ihc  troojis,  the  storm  that  was  hanging  over  them.  On  arriving  at  the 
portage,  dist:uit  about  one  huiulred  and  forty  miles  from  the  Butte  des  Morts, 
V.C  found  ourselves  within  nine  miles  of  a  village,  at  whicli,  we  were  informed, 
nere  two  of  the  murderers.  Red  Bird,  tiie  ])rincipal,  and  We-kaw,  together 
with  a  large  party  of  warriors.  The  Indians,  apprehending  an  attack,  sent  a 
messenger  to  our  encampment.  He  arrived,  and  seated  himself  at  our  tent 
door.  On  inquiring  what  he  wanted,  he  answered,  "  Do  not  strike.  W/int 
the  sttii  ^els  up  there,  (pointing  to  a  certain  i)art  of  the  heavens,)  they  will  come 
in.''^  To  the  question,  Wlio  will  come  in? — he  answered,  "  i?f(/  liird  anil 
)re-/iv;iy."  Having  thus  delivered  his  message,  he  rose,  wrapped  liis  blaida't 
around  him,  and  returned.  This  was  about  noon.  At  three  o'clock,  another 
Indian  came,  seated  himself  in  the  same  place,  and  being  questioned,  gave 
the  same  answer.  At  sundown  another  came,  and  repeated  what  the  others 
had  said. 

The  amount  of  the  information  intended  to  be  conveyed,  in  this  novel  man- 
ner, was,  (hat  the  Red  Bird  and  We-kaw  had  determined  to  devote  themselves, 
by  surrendering  their  persons  and  their  lives,  rather  than,  by  a  resistance, 
involve  the  peace  of  their  people,  or  subject  them  to  the  consequence  of  an 
allack.  The  heroic  character  of  this  act  will  be  more  clearly  perceived,  when 
we  assert,  on  our  own  knowledge,  that  the  murders  committed  at  Prairie  du 
Chien,  were  in  retaliation  for  wrongs  which  had  been  long  inflicted  on  the 
tribes  to  which  those  Indians  and  their  warriors  belonged.  It  is  true,  those 
killed  by  them  at  Prairie  du  Chien  were  innocent  of  any  wrong  done  to  the 


HISTORY   OF  THE 


285 


l).iLoes  came  out  of  this  war  a  conqucrinsr  and  powerful  people ; 
liiit  wliat  their  enemies  could  not  accomplish,  the  elements  did. 
Tradition  says  that  six  hundred  of  their  warriors  perished  in  canoes 
u])on  Lake  Michigan,  daring  a  violent  storm. 
The  Winnebagoes  are  computed  at  five  thousand  eight  hundred 


Indians.      But  Iiulian   retaliation   does  not   require   that  he,  who  commits  a 
\vrouir,  shall,  alone,  sulfer  for  it. 

The  tbllGwing  extract  of  a  letter,  written  on  the  occasion  of  this  voluntary 
surrender,  is  introduced  in  this  place  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  reader 
acquainted  with  the  details  of  that  interesting  occurrence,  and  the  ceremonies 
iUleuding  it.  It  was  addressed  to  the  Honorable  James  Barbour,  then  Secre- 
tary of  War,  though  not  as  forming  any  part  of  the  official  correspondence. 
We  have  omitted  parls  of  the  extract,  as  published  at  the  time,  and  supplied 
additional  incidents,  which,  in  the  hurry  of  the  preparation,  were  omitted. 

Portage  ok  the  Fox  and  Ouisconsik  Rivehs. 

Monday,  Alh  September,  1827. 

My  dear  Sir  :— It  would  aflbrd  me  sincere  pleasure,  did  the  circumstances, 
by  which  I  find  myself  surrounded,  allow  me  better  ojjportunities  and  more 
leisure,  because  I  could  then,  and  would,  most  cheerfully,  enter  into  those 
minute  details  which  are,  in  some  sort,  necessary,  to  exhibit  things  and  occur- 
rences to  you  as  they  are  seen  by  me.  I  will,  notwithstanding,  in  this  letter, 
from  the  spot  on  which  Ihe  Red  Bird  and  We-kmo  surrendered  themselves, 
give  you  some  account  of  that  interesting  occasion,  and  of  every  tfihig  just  as 
it  occurred.     It  all  interested  me,  and  will,  doubtless,  you. 

You  are  already  informed  of  our  arrival  at  this  place,  on  the  .31st  ultimo, 
and  that  no  movement  was  made  to  capture  the  two  murderers,  who  were 
reported  to  us  to  be  at  the  village  nine  miles  above,  on  account  of  an  order 
received  by  Major  Whistler  from  General  Atkinson,  direcling  him  to  wait  his 
arrival,  and  mean  time  to  make  no  movement  of  any  kind.  We  were,  there- 
fore, after  the  necessary  arrangements  for  defence  and  security,  &c.,  idly,  but 
anxiously,  waiting  his  arrival,  when,  at  about  one  o'clock  to-day  we  decried, 
coming  in  the  direction  of  the  encampment,  and  across  the  portage,  a  body  of 
Indians,  some  raountrd.  and  some  on  foot.     They  were,  when  first  discerned, 


2b0 


INDIAN  TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


{)crson  ;•  It  has  boon  snjiposcd  by  some,  lliiit  liittorly  llioy  have 
been  inoroasiiig.  There  is,  liowever,  no  good  reason  to  boHeve  this. 
The  opinion  has  probably  grown  out  ol'  a  comparison  of  (lilleront 
estimates  of  their  population,  made  by  various  persons,  antl  ihidor 
various  circumstances.     Such  estimates  are  too  loose  and  uncertain 


on  a  mouiu!,  and  descending  it;  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  glass,  we  could  discern 
tlirce  (liifTs — two  appeared  to  be  American,  and  one  while.  We  bad  received 
iiitbrmation,  the  day  before,  of  tlie  intention  of  tbe  band  at  tbe  village  to  couw. 
in  with  the  murderers  to-day  ;  and  therefore  expected  tiiein,  and  concluded 
this  party  to  be  on  its  way  to  fidtil  tiiat  intention.  In  liiilf  an  lioiir  tliey  were 
near  the  river,  and  at  the  crossing-place,  when  \\h:  iieard  singing  ;  it  was  an- 
nounced by  those  who  knew  the  notes,  to  be  a  death-song — wlien,  presently, 
the  river  beii.g  only  about  a  hundred  yards  across,  and  tiie  Indians  approai^h- 
ing  it,  those  who  knew  hiui  said,  "  it  is  the  Red  Bfd  singing  his  deulh-song.'''' 
On  th(!  moment  of  their  arrival  at  the  landing,  two  seal/)  yells  were  given  ;  and 
these  were  also  by  the  Red  Bird.  The  Menominies  who  had  accompanied  us, 
were  lying,  after  the  Indian  fa.shion,  in  diflTerent  directions,  all  over  the  hill, 
eyeing,  with  a  careless  indid'erence,  Ihis  scene  ;  but  the  moment  the  yells  were 
given,  they  bounded  from  the  ground  as  if  they  had  been  shot  out  of  it,  and, 
running  in  every  direction,  each  to  his  gun,  seized  it,  and  throwing  back  the 
pan,  picked  the  touchhole,  and  rallied.  They  knew  well  that  the  yells  were 
scnlj)  yells ;  but  they  did  not  know  whether  they  were  intended  to  indicate 
two  scalps  to  be  taken,  or  two  to  be  given — but  inferred  the  first.  Barges  were 
sent  across,  wiien  they  came  over;  the  Red  Bird  carrying  the  wiiite  flag,  and 
VVe-kaw  by  his  side.  While  they  were  embarking,  I  passed  a  few  yards  from 
my  tent,  when  a  rattlesnake  ran  across  the  patii  ;  he  was  struck  by  Captain 
Dickeson  witli  his  sword,  whicii,  in  pari,  ilisabled  him,  when  I  ran  mine,  it 
being  of  the  sabre  form,  several  times  through  his  body,  and  finally  through 
his  head,  and  holding  it  up,  it  was  cut  off  by  a  Menominie  Indian  with  his 
knife.  The  body  of  the  snake  falling,  was  caught  up  by  an  Indian,  whilst  I 
went  towards  one  of  the  fires  to  hum  the  head,  that  its  fangs  might  be  innov- 
ious,  when  another  Indian  came,  running,  and  begged  me  for  it.  I  gave  it  to 
him.     The  object  of  both  being  to  make  medicine  of  the  reptile  !*     This  was 

'  The  noise  of  tlie  rattloti  of  a  nitllesnalic,  when  excited,  is  precisely  that  of  a  repeating 
watch  in  the  intervals  between  the  strokes. 


HISTORY  OF   THE 


287 


to  furaisli  datu  for  any  calc'iilatbiis  oftliis  nature,  more  partictilurl_y 
wlicii  they  contradict  our  unilbrni  uxpuricjucu  ujton  the  subject  of 
the  aboriyiual  population.  All  the  tribes  with  which  we  are  ac- 
quainted, are  in  a  state  of  progressive  and  rapid  diminution;  and 
althonjrh  those  which  are  most  remote  are  not  within  the  sphere 


intci-iin-tetl  to  be  ii  good  omen— as  had  a  i.ievious  killing  of  one  a  il-w  morn- 
ings Ijufore,  on  Fox  liiviT;  and  of  a  bi-ai  s  -ne  account  of  the  ceremonies 
iiilendiiig  which,  and  of  other  incidents  aUending  our  ascent  up  that  river,  I 
may  give  you  at  another  time. 

I?y  this  time  the  niur(h.'rers  were  landed,  accompanied  by  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  of  their  principal  men.  They  were  preceded  and  represented  by 
('iinimime,  a  chief,  who  earnestly  begged  that  the  prisoners  might  receive 
good  treatment,  and,  under  no  circumstances,  be  put  in  irons.  He  appeared 
to  dread  the  military,  and  wished  to  surrender  them  to  the  .Sub-Agent,  Mr. 
Marsh.  His  address  being  made  to  me,  I  told  him  it  was  jjroper  that  he  should 
go  to  the  great  chief,  (.Major  Wlieeler) ;  and,  that  so  far  as  Mr.  Marsh's  pre- 
scMice  might  be  agreeable  to  them,  they  should  liave  it  there.  He  appeared 
content,  and  moved  on,  followed  by  the  men  of  his  band.,,  the  Red  Bird  being 
in  the  centre,  with  his  white  flag,  whilst  two  other  Hags,  American,  were  borne 
iiy  two  chiefs,  in  the  front  and  rear  of  the  line.  The  military  had  been  i)re- 
viously  drawn  out  in  line.  The  Menominie  and  Wabanocky  Indians  spiat- 
ling  about  in  groups,  (looking  curious  enough,)  on  the  left  Hank— the  band  of 
mssic  on  the  riglit,  a  little  in  advance  of  the  line.  The  murderers  were 
marched  up  in  front  of  the  centre  of  the  line— some  ten  or  fifteen  paces  from 
wliicli,  seats  were  arranged,  which  were  occupied  by  tlie  principal  officers 
.ittached  to  the  command,  &c. :  in  front  of  which,  at  about  ten  paces,  the  Red 
IJiiil  was  halted,  with  his  miserable  looking  companion,  We-kaw,  by  his  side, 
whilst  his  band  formed  a  kind  of  .semi-circle  to  their  right  and  left.  All  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  the  Red  Bird  ;  and  well  they  might  be ;  for,  of  all  the  Indians 
I  ever  saw,  he  is  decidedly  the  most  perfect  in  form,  and  face,  and  motion.  In 
height  he  is  about  six  feet,  straight,  but  without  restraint ;  in  proportion,  exact 
and  perfect  from  his  feet  to  his  head,  and  thence  to  the  very  ends  of  his  fingers  ; 
whil.st  his  fiice  is  full  of  expression,  and  of  every  sort  to  interest  the  feelings, 
and  without  a  single,  even  accidental  glance,  that  would  justify  the  suspicion 


2S8 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA, 


of  I'lr  opcnitinn  of  tlic  causes  wliicli  ri'sult  from  llii'ir  coniact  willi 
a  civilized  people,  yet  a  scanty  and  precarious  subsistence,  conlniued 
and  active  warfare,  exposure  to  the  elements,  and  to  the  accidents 
of  a  hazardous  life,  are  pressing,  with  restless  severity,  upon  their 
spare  population. 


that  a  i)iiipos(>  of  murder  couKV  by  any  possible  means,  conceal  itself  there. 
There  is  in  it  a  liapjiy  bleniling  of  dignity  and  (jracc  ;  great  firmness  and 
(h'cisioM,  mixed  with  mildness  and  mercy.  I  could  not  but  ask  myself,  Can 
this  bf  the  murderer — the  chief  who  could  slmot,  seal]),  ami  cut  the  throat  of 
Gngiiier?  His  head,  too — nothing  was  ever  so  well  formed.  There  was  no 
orna[iientin;j;  of  die  hair  after  the  Indian  fashion  ;  no  clubbing  it  up  in  blocks 
and  rollers  of  lead  or  silver;  no  loose  or  straggling  parts;  but  it  was  cut  after 
the  best  fiishidii  of  the  most  refined  civilizinl  taste.  His  fiice  was  ])ainted,  one 
side  red,  the  other  a  little  intermixed  with  green  and  white.  Around  his  neck 
he  wore  a  collar  of  blue  wampum,  beautifully  mixed  with  white,  sewn  on  a 
piece  of  cloth,  and  covering  it,  of  about  two  inches  width,  whilst  the  claws  of 
the  panther,  or  large  wild  cat,  were  fastened  to  the  upper  rim,  and  about  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  from  each  other,  their  points  downward  and  inward,  and 
resting  ujion  the  lower  rim  of  the  collar;  and  around  his  neck,  in  strands  of 
various  hiiglhs,  enlarging  as  they  descended,  he  wears  a  profusion  of  the  same 
kind  of  wampum  as  had  been  worked  so  tastefully  into  his  collar.  He  is 
clothed  in  a  Yanldon  dress,  new,  rich,  and  beautiful.  It  is  of  beautifidly 
dressed  elk,  or  deer  skin;  jiure  in  its  color,  almost  to  a  clear  white,  and  con- 
sists of  a  jacki't,  (with  nothing  beneath  it,)  the  sleeves  of  which  are  sewn  so  as 
to  neatly  fit  his  finely  turned  arm.s,  lea',  ing  two  or  three  implies  of  the  skin  out- 
side of  the  sewing,  and  then  again  three  or  fi)ur  inches  more,  which  is  cut  into 
strips,  as  we  cut  jinper  to  wrap  round,  and  ornament  a  candle.  All  this  made 
a  deep  and  rich  fringe,  whilst  the  same  kind  of  ornament,  or  trimming,  con- 
tinued down  the  scams  of  his  leggings.  These  were  of  the  same  material,  and 
were  additionally  set  off  with  blue  beads.  On  his  feet  he  wore  moccasins.  A 
piece  of  scarlet  cloth,  about  a  quarter  of  a  yard  wide,  and  half  a  yard  long,  by 
means  of  a  slit  cut  through  its  middle,  so  as  to  admit  the  passing  through  of 
the  head,  rested,  one  half  upon  his  breast,  and  the  other  on  his  back.  On  one 
Bhoidder,  and  near  his  breast,  was  a  large  and  beautifully  ornamented  feather. 


iiisroRY  OF  nil-: 


280 


III  luiiiiMcrs  iiiul  t'ustoiiis,  tliu  \'v  iiiiiclmudcs  rcsrinlilc  llic  otliei 
iiiciiihri-s  of  tliu  alioi-igiiial  family.  J, ike  \\\c  Al-diKjuiii  tribes,  tliry 
are  divideil  iiilo  biiiuls,  eiieii  desi«,rii!ite(i  by  ihe  name  of  sdine  aiii 
mill,  or  of  a  .supposed  .spirit,  such  as  tlie  bear,  the  de\  d,  or  bad 
spirit,  tho  thunder,  &c.     Theso  divi.sious  were,  originally,  an  im- 


iiearly  wliite  ;  and  on  the  other,  and  opposite,  was  one  nearly  lijack,  with  two 
pieces  of  wood  in  the  form  ot"  compasses  when  i\  little  open,  each  about  .six 
inches  long,  richly  wrajjped  roinul  with  iiorciipines'  qiiill.s,  dyed  yellow,  red, 
and  blue;  and  on  the  tip  ot  one  shoulder  was  a  tult  of  red  dyed  horse-hair, 
curled  in  part,  and  mixed  up  with  other  orn:  inents.  Acro.ss  his  brea.st,  in  a 
dia^ronal  ])osilion,  and  bound  tight  to  it,  was  his  war-pipe,  at  le.ist  three  feet 
long,  richly  ornamented  with  feathers  and  horsc-lmir,  dyed  red,  and  the  bills 
of  birds,  &,c.  ;  whilst  in  one  hand  he  held  the  white  Ihig,  and  in  the  ether  Ihe 
pipe  of  peace.  There  he  stood.  He  moved  not  a  muscle,  nor  once  changed 
the  expression  of  his  face.  They  were  told  to  sit  down.  He  sat  down,  with 
a  ijrace  not  less  captivating  than  he  walked  and  stood.  At  tiiis  moment,  the 
band  on  our  right  struck  up  and  played  Pleyel's  Hymn.  Every  thing  was 
still.  The  Red  Bird  looked  towards  the  band,  and  eyeing  it  with  an  expression 
of  interest,  and  as  if  those  pensive  notes  were  falling  softly  and  agreeably  on 
his  heart.  Wiien  the  hymn  was  played,  he  took  up  his  pouch,  and  taking 
from  it  some  kbinakanic  and  tobacco,  cut  the  latter  after  the  Indian  fashion 
tiien  rubbed  the  two  together,  filled  the  bowl  of  his  beautiful  peace-pipe,  struck 
fire  with  his  steel  and  Hint  into  a  bit  of  spunk,  and  lighted  it,  and  smoked.  All 
this  was  done  with  a  grace  no  less  captivating  than  that  which  had  characterized 
tis  other  movements.     He  .sat  with  his  legs  crossed. 

If  you  think  there  was  any  thing  of  afTectation  in  all  this,  you  are  mistaken. 
There  was  just  the  manner  and  appearance  you  would  expect  to  see  in  a  nolily 
iiuilt  man  of  the  finest  intelligence,  who  had  been  escorted  by  his  armies  to  a 
throii",  wliere  the  diadem  was  to  be  placed  upon  his  head. 

Theie  is  but  one  opinion  of  the  man,  and  that  is  just  such  as  I  have  formed 
myself,  and  attempted  to  impart  to  you.  I  could  n,-t  but  speculate  a  little  on 
his  dre.ss.  His  white  jacket,  with  one  piece  of  red  upon  it,  appeared  to  indi- 
cate the  purity  of  his  ])ast  life,  staineil  with  but  a  single  crime  ;  for,  all  agree, 
that  the  Red  Bird  had  never  before  soiled  his  fingers  with  the  blood  of  the  white 
37 


2'.li) 


INDIAN   TIUHKS  OF   NUHTII  A.MKIUCA. 


port  lilt  Iruliirc  ill  llii'ir  pnlity,  I'Ut  llicy  iiri'  imu  little  iiKirc  tliiiii 
ii(>iiiiii;il.  li;i\iiiL;'  yit'ldi'd,  like  iii;iiiy  (itlicrs  oj'  tlic  [n'riiliir  tniits, 
t(i  tin;  imtowiird  cifcuiustniices  wliiidi  have,  lor  ages,  surruiUKk'd 
tht'iii. 

Their  villagu  cliiefs  uro  horeditai'y  in   the  lineal  doscont,  and, 


man,  nor  coiniiiiltt-d  a  biid  action.  His  war-pipe,  bmiiid  fUisi'  to  liis  heart, 
appeaii'il  to  indiciito  liis  love  of  war,  wiiicli  was  now  no  loiii,'i'r  to  hf  j,'ra!i- 
llcd.  I'ciliap-.  the  red,  or  searii't  elolli,  may  have  been  iiidiealive  ol'  his  naiiie 
—the  Red  ninl. 

All  sat,  (■x<'ept  the  speakiMS,  whose  addres-es  I  took  t'own,  but  have  not 
time  to  insert  iheiii  here.  They  were,  In  snbslanee,  that  they  had  been  re- 
(piircd  to  brin^  in  the  murderers.  Tliey  h.id  no  power  over  any,  except  two, 
ami  lbe^e  hail  vobinlarily  agreed  to  eoine  in  and  give  themselves  ii"  As  their 
friends,  they  had  come  with  them.  They  hoped  their  white  broihers  would 
afjree  to  reeeive  the  horses,  (they  had  with  them  twenty,  perhaps,)  meaiiin;^, 
thai  if  accepted,  it  should  be  in  commiilatioii  for  the  lives  of  their  two  friemls. 
'I'hey  asked  kind  treatment  for  them,  earne.stly  begged  that  thev  inijj;ht  not  be 
put  in  irons,  and  that  they  all  mifrlit  have  some  tobacco,  and  something  to  eat. 

They  were  answered,  and  told,  in  substance,  thai  they  had  ilonu  well  thus 
to  come  in.  iJy  having  done  so,  they  had  turned  away  our  guns,  and  saved 
their  ])eople.  They  were  admonished  against  placing  themselves  in  a  similar 
situation  in  future,  and  told,  that  when  they  shoulil  be  ag^;rieved,  to  go  to  their 
Agent,  who  would  inform  their  Great  Father  of  their  complaints,  and  he  would 
redress  them  ;  that  their  friends  should  be  treated  kindly,  and  tried  by  the 
same  laws  that  their  Great  Father's  children  were  tried  ;  that,  for  the  j)resent, 
tliey  should  not  be  put  in  irons;  that  they  all  should  have  something  to  eat, 
and  tobacco  to  smoke.  We  advised  them  to  warn  their  people  against  killing 
ours  ;  and  endeavored  also  to  impress  them  with  a  proper  conception  of  the 
extent  of  our  power,  and  of  their  weakness,  &c. 

Having  heard  this,  the  Red  Bird  stood  up ;  the  commanding  officer.  Major 
Whistler,  a  few  paces  in  advance  of  the  centre  of  his  line,  facing  him.  After 
a  pause  of  a  minute,  and  a  rapid  survey  of  the  troops,  and  a  firm,  composed 
observation  of  his  people,  the  Red  Bird  said — looking  at  Major  Whistler — 
"  I  am  ready."     Then  advancing  a  step  or  two,  he  paused,  and  added — "  I 


HISTORY   or   TlIK 


21)  I 


wlu'ic  tlie  diroct  liiiu  lail.s,  in  tlio  colliitcral  clcscciit.  Fciuiilc  cliicl's 
are  not  at  present  known  unionjf  tlicni,  alUioii^h  Carver  states,  that 
when  he  visited  this  tribe,  in  17G7,  a  queen  wa.s  al  tlicir  head,  and 
exereised  her  authority  witli  nuich  stati',  and  without  opposition. 
It  is  certainly  a  sinj^ular  inconsistency  in  human  nature,  that  rn(h! 


do  not  wish  to  be  put  in  irons.  Let  me  In'  free.  I  have  fjiveu  my  lili' — it  is 
gone,  (.stoojiing  dowti  and  taking  some  diisi  between  IjIs  linger  and  thnnd),  and 
blowing  it  away,)  Hke  ibis — (eyeing  ibe  dnst  as  ii  fell  and  vanisbed  out  -jj'  liis 
sight.)  I  would  nut  have  it  back.  It  is  gone."  lie  then  tliiew  bis  liands 
behind  him,  to  indie  ite  that  he  was  leaving  all  things  behind  him,  and  niarehed 
uj)  to  Major  VVhistl  jr,  breast  to  breast.  A  jjlaloon  was  wijeeied  baekwaids 
from  the  centre  of  tl  e  line,  when,  .Major  Whistler  stepiiing  aside,  ihe  Ited  lliiil 
and  We-kaw  march. -d  tlirmn^h  the  line,  in  ch.uge  of  a  file  oi'  men,  lo  a  tent  that 
had  been  provided  in  ll.  '  ar,  over  wbich  a  guard  was  set.  'I'be  ennirades  ol 
the  two  cai)tives  then  left  the  ground  by  the  way  they  Inul  come,  taking  with 
them  our  advice,  and  a  supply  of  meat  and  dour. 

I  will  now  describe,  as  well  as  I  can,  Wc-/caw,  Ihe  miserable,  butcher-looking 
being  who  continued  by  lied  Bird.  lie  is,  in  idl  respects,  ihe  opposite  of  the 
lied  Bird  ;  and  you  will  make  out  the  ])oiiils  of  comparison  by  this  rule : 
Never  was  there  before,  two  luwnan  beings,  brought  together  for  the  same 
crime,  who  looked  so  totally  unlike  each  other,  lied  Bird  seemed  a  |)riiu'e, 
anil  lit  lo  command,  and  worthy  to  be  obeyed  ;  but  We-kaw  looked  as  if  he 
was  born  to  be  lianged.  Meagre,  cold,  diily  in  his  dress  and  jierson,  and 
crooked  in  form — like  the  starved  wolf,  gaunt,  and  hungry,  and  blood-thirsty 
— his  wliole  appearance  indicates  the  exisiL'ice  of  a  sjiirit,  wary,  cruel,  and 
treacherous ;  and  there  is  no  room  left,  after  looking  at  him,  for  piiy.  This  is 
the  man  who  could  scalp  a  child  no  more  than  eleven  months  old,  and  cut  it 
across  the  back  of  its  neck  to  the  bone,  and  leave  it,  bearing  off  its  fine  lock's, 
to  suffer  and  die  upon  ihe  floor,  near  its  murdered  father!  But  his  hands, 
and  crooked  and  miserable  looking  fingers,  had  been  wet,  often,  with  blood 
before. 

The  Red  Bird  does  not  appear  to  be  over  thirty — yet  he  is  said  to  be  over 
forty.     We-kaw  looks  to  be  over  forty-fire,  and  is.  perhaps,  that  old. 

I  shall  see,  on  ray  arrival  at  the  Prairie,  the  scene  of  these  butcheries;  and 


292 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF  NOllTH  AMERICA. 


and  uncivili/cd  people,  who  hold  women  in  contempt,  and  assign  to 
tla'Hi  the  performance  of  all  those  duties  which  arc  least  honoral)lo 
and  most  laborious,  should  yet  admit  them  to  the  exercise  of  civil 
authority  in  supreme  or  subordinate  situations.*  The  custom 
iiia\-  have  originated  in  another  and  more  advanced  state  of  society, 
and  may  have  survived  the  wreck  in  which  tlieir  early  history  has 
perished. 

The  Southern  Indians  are  consolidated  into  four  great  families, 
t!ie  Creeks,  the  Cherokees,  the  Chactaws,  and  Chicka.saws.  The 
Catawbas,  and  many  other  tribes,  once  scattered  over  the  country 
from  North  Carolina  to  the  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 

a-i  I  iiiav  write  you  upon  all  the  points  of  my  tour  that  may  have  any  interest,  I 
will  introduce  you  to  that.  The  child,  I  forgot  to  say,  by  tlie  latest  account.s, 
yet  lives,  and  promises  to  survive  tlie  wounds  on  its  head  and  neck.  The 
widow  of  Gagnier  is  also  there,  and  I  shall  get  the  whole  story  from  lier  own 
m  'Uth,  and  then  shall,  doubtless,  get  it  truly.  You  shall  have  it  all,  and  a 
thousand  things  besides,  thai,  when  I  left  home,  I  never  expected  to  realize — 
but  once  entered  upon  the  scenes  I  have  passed,  there  was  no  giving  back. 
I  see  no  danger,  I  confess,  especially  now  ;  but  my  way  is  onward,  and  I 
shall  go. 

I  write  in  haste,  and  have  only  time  to  add  the  assurance  of  my  friendship. 

THO.MAS  L.  McKENNEY. 


The  Red  Bird  and  We-kaw  were  delivered  over  to  General  Atkinson,  who 
commanded  the  expedition  from  Jefferson  Barracks.  lie  arrived  with  hisci,m- 
niand  at  the  portage,  by  way  of  the  Ouisconsin,  two  days  after  the  surrender. 
Tiie  prisoners  were  conveyed  to  Prairie  du  Chicn.  The  Red  Bird  died  in 
prison.  We-kaw  and  others,  who  were  taken  as  accomplices  in  the  murder, 
were  tried  and  convicted,  but  became  the  subjects  of  executive  clemency — the 
President,  Mr.  Adams,  extending  a  pardon  to  them. 

We  remember,  in  18:20,  to  have  seen  admitted  into  a  council,  at  Fnnd-du- 
lac  Superior,  an  aged  woman,  but  she  sat  there  as  the  repn-sentativc  of  her 
husband,  whose  age  and  blindness  prevented  his  attendance. 


HISTORY  OF   THE 


293 


are  now  either  extinct,  or  so  ncrirly  extinct,  that  any  investigation 
into  their  condition  would  be  inconsistent  with  the  object  we  have 
in  view— which  is,  an  exhibition  of  the  actual  state  of  tlie  Indian 
tribes  at  the  present  day.  Nor  is  it  easy  to  trace  the  history  and 
progress  of  the  declension  and  extinction  of  these  Indians,  or  their 
incorporation  into  the  other  communities  which  yet  survive  so 
much  of  what  has  perished  in  our  aboriginal  memorials.  The 
materials  that  have  reached  us  are  not  satisfactory.  The  early 
French  travellers  and  historians  furnish  us  with  the  most  valuable 
information  on  these  subjects.  If  they  did  not  examine  them  with 
more  severity,  they  were  more  careful  to  record  their  observations, 
and  by  the  facility  of  intercourse  with  the  Indians,  better  enabled 
to  collect  them.  With  the  southern  tribes,  however,  their  inter- 
course was  not  extensive^  and  the  accounts  which  they  have  left  us 
of  tlieir  history  and  condition  are  meagre  and  unsatisfactory. 

Adair,  an  English  trader,  published  a  book  purporting  to  be  a 
history  of  the  four  southern  tribes,  or,  rather,  it  was  published  for 
him ;  and  if  human  ingenuity  had  been  taxed  to  compile  a  work, 
which,  in  a  large  compass,  should  contain  tlie  least  possible  informa- 
tion respecting  the  subject  aljout  which  it  treats,  we  might  be  well 
satisfied  with  Adair's  quarto.  He  sees  in  the  Indians  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Jews ;  and,  blind  to  the  thousand  physical  and  moral 
proofs  adverse  to  this  wild  theory,  he  seizes  upon  one  or  two  casual 
coincidences,  and,  with  an  imagination  which  supplies  every  thing 
else,  he  furnishes  his  reader  with  his  speculations. 

Over  this  region,  and  among  the  predecessors,  or  ancestors  of 
some  of  these  tribes,  De  Soto  rambled,  with  his  followers,  in  pursuit 
of  gold,  if  the  narrative  of  his  expedition  be  not  as  fabulous  the 
El  Dorado  he  was  seeking.  How  precious  would  be  a  judicious 
and  faithful  account  of  the  Indians,  written  almost  during  the  life- 
time of  Columbus,  by  a  n-,an  of  observation  and  candor,  travelling, 
as  is  computed  in  the  hist«iry  of  this  expedition,  more  thau  riv(!  thou- 
sand miles  in  the  country ;  and  occupied  in  this  journey  nearly  live 


29i 


INDIAN  TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


years!  And  proceeding  in  a  direction,  eighteen  hundred  miles 
north  of  the  point  of  debarkation — six  hunch'cd  miles  north  of  Lake 
Su])erior.  For  this  is  the  grave  calculation  made  from  a  reduction 
of  the  courses  and  distances  given  by  De  la  Vega,  the  historian  of 
the  expedition. 

It  were  a  waste  of  time  to  indulge  in  speculations,  as  some  sensible 
men  have  done,  respecting  the  causes  which  have  depopulated  these 
regions,  '■'■  filled  with  great  towns,  always  within  viefv  of  each  other .'" 
Of  all  the  exaggerations  to  which  the  aim  sacra  fames  of  the  Spa- 
niards has  given  birth  in  the  New  World,  this  narrative  is  the  gross- 
est. It  is  utterly  unworthy  of  a  moment's  serious  consideiation.  All 
that  it  records  is  wholly  inconsistent  with  the  institutions  and  re- 
sources, and  not  less  so  with  every  authentic  account  which  has 
come  down  to  us. 

The  Creeks  now  occupy  a  tract  of  country  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Alabama.  Many  of  them,  however,  have  already  removed  west  of 
the  Mississippi,  and  others  are  preparing  to  follow.  From  present 
aj)pearances,  it  is  probable  they  will,  ere  long,  follow  the  same  route. 
Their  whole  niunbers  are  estimated  at  twenty  thousand. 

The  Seminoles,  and  the  remains  of  otiier  broken  tribes,  allies  or 
confederates  of  the  Creeks,  and  identified  with  them  in  manners  and 
feelings,  occupy  a  reservation  in  Florida,  and  number  among  their 
population  about  four  thouisand  individuals. 

The  Creeks  were  so  called  by  the  English,  because  their  country 
was  watered  and  intersected  by  numerous  small  .streams,  along 
which  these  Indians  were  situated.  They  have  long  been  known 
as  a  powerful  and  restless  confederacy,  and  their  sway  formerly 
extended  over  much  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Florida.  The  prin- 
cipal and  original  band,  the  Muskogee,  which  in  their  own  language 
now  gives  name  to  the  whole  nation,  claim  to  have  always  inhabited 
the  country  now  occupied  by  them.  As  other  tribes  became  re- 
duced in  numbers  and  power,  either  by  the  preponderance  of  the 
Muskogee,  or  by  other  causes,  they  joined  that  band,  and  have,  in 


HISTORY   OF   THE 


295 


proL'i'ss  of  time,  hecoinc,  in  some  measure,  though  not  altogether,  a 
lioinogeneous  i)eo|)le.  The  most  extraordinary  among  these,  both 
as  to  their  history,  their  institutions,  and  their  fate,  were  the  Natchez. 
Originally  planted  upon  the  Mississippi,  near  the  present  town  of 
that  name,  if  the  accounts  which  have  been  given  of  their  condition 
and  manners  can  l)e  relied  on,  almost  all  the  features  they  present 
mark  a,  striking  diilerence  between  them  and  all  the  other  Indians 
who  are  known  to  us.  Some  of  these  we  shall  lay  before  our 
readers;  and  without  giving  full  credit  to  the  whole  account,  there 
yet  can  be  no  doubt  that  some  peculiar  characteristics  prevailed 
amoiig  them.  It  is  a  curious  and  interesting  topic.  The  Natchez 
are  said  to  have  been  luunerous  and  powerful.  Their  principal 
chief  was  called  the  Great  Sim,  and  the  subordinate  chiefs,  suus. 
Their  government,  unlike  the  pure  democracies,  or  rather  the  no- 
government  of  the  other  tribes,  was  strong,  and  even  despotic.  The 
Great  Sun  was  an  object  of  reverence,  and  almost  veneration,  and 
exercised  unlimited  power  during  his  life;  and  in  death,  he  was 
attended  by  a  numerous  band,  who  had  been  devoted  to  him  from 
birth,  and  who  were  immolated  on  his  shrine.  Tlie  government 
was  hereditary;  but,  as  with  the  Wyandots,  and  some  of  the  other 
tribes,  the  succession  was  in  the  female  line,  from  uncle  to  nephew 
The  members  of  the  reigning  family  were  not  allowed  to  intermarry 
with  one  another ;  but  divorces  were  permitted  at  will,  and  liber- 
tinism fully  indulged.  The  sun  was  the  great  object  of  religious 
adoration,  and  in  their  temples  a  perpetual  fire  was  burning. 
Guardians  were  appointed  foi  the  preservation  of  this  fire,  and 
heavy  penalties  were  prescribed  for  neglect.  All  this,  and  much 
more  that  is  related  of  this  people,  by  respectable  authors,  some  of 
them  eye-witnesses,  is  so  dilFercnt  from  all  around  ihem,  that,  if 
the  leading  facts  are  true,  the  Natchez  must  have  been  an  insu- 
lated tribe  upon  the  continent,  deriving  their  origin  from  a  different 
stock. 

The  final  catastrophe,  which  closed  their  history  and  their  inde- 


29  C 


INDIAN   TRIHES  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


pendcncc,  is  indicative  of  their  fierce  and  indomitable  spirit.  Tlie 
tyrannical  conduct  of  a  Frcncli  commandant  of  the  port  of  Natchez 
led  to  a  conspiracy  for  the  destruction  of  their  oppressors.  The 
French  were  surprised,  and  almost  the  whole  settlement,  amount- 
ing to  seven  hundred  persons,  massacred.  When  the  hitelligence 
reached  New  Orleans,  a  formidable  expedition  was  organized 
against  tlicse  Indians,  and  all  the  warriors  of  the  neighboring 
tril)es  invited  to  accompany  it.  The  Natchez  defended  themselves 
with  desperate  valor;  but,  in  the  end,  were  utterly  overthrown. 
Their  Great  Sun,  with  many  of  their  principal  men,  were  trans- 
ported to  St.  Domingo,  and  sold  into  slavery,  and  the  tribe  itself 
disappeared  from  histor}-. 

There  are,  among  the  Creeks,  the  remains  of  a  tribe  known  as 
the  Ucliees,  the  remnant  of  one  of  these  dispersed,  or  conquered 
bands— tradition  says  they  were  conquered.  Although  forming 
part  of  the  Creelt  tribe,  and  enjoying,  in  common  with  it,  its  honors 
^nd  profits,  such  as  they  are,  they  speak  a  language  entirely  dis- 
similar, and  wholly  their  own. 

The  Cherokees  own  a  district  of  country,  which  extends  into 
North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Tennessee.  That  portion 
of  the  tribe  that  remains  east  of  the  Mississippi,  contains  about  nine 
thousand  persons.  Those  who  have  emigrated  to  the  west  of  that 
river,  and  are  now  situated  west  of  Arkansas  and  Missouri,  amount 
to  about  six  thousand.  The  principal  emigration  has  taken  place 
since  1817. 

Tiiis  tribe,  when  first  known  to  the  French,  resided  in  the  country 
between  Lalce  Erie  and  the  Ohio.  The  causes  which  led  to  their 
emigration  from  that  region  can  only  be  conjectured ;  but  there  is 
little  doubt  it  was  owing  to  the  victorious  career  of  the  Iroquois  : 
and  that  it  occurred  about  the  period  when  the  Shawanese  were 
driven  to  the  same  quarter. 

After  the  settlement  of  the  Southern  States,  the  Cherokees,  insti- 
gated by  the  French,  displayed,  for  many  years,  the  most  deter- 


HISTORY  OF   THE 


297 


iiiiuod  hostility,  aud  kept  the  frontiers  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm 
and  danger.  Formidable  exertions  were  required,  from  time  to 
time,  to  check  this  spirit;  nor  was  it  fully  accomplished  until  the 
near  approach  of  the  revolutionary  troubles. 

The  language  of  the  Clicrokees,  so  far  as  we  are  actjuainted  with 
it,  is  radically  different  in  its  words  from  that  of  any  other  tribes. 
In  its  general  structure,  however,  it  closely  resembles  the  dialects 
spoken  by  our  Aviiole  aboriginal  family. 

The  Chactaws  reside  in  the  State  of  Mississippi,  and  are  com- 
puted at  twenty  thousand  persons.  They  have  recently  ceded  their 
entire  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  the  United  States,  and  are 
removing  to  the  west  of  that  river. 

The  Chicka.saws,  numbering  about  three  thousand  si.v  hundred, 
inhabit  the  northern  part  of  Mississippi,  and  the  north-western 
corner  of  Alabama. 

These  two  tribes  speak  dialects  of  the  same  language,  and  aro 
evidently  branches  of  the  same  family.  There  is  nothing  in  their 
condition  or  history  which  requires  a  more  particular  notice,  except 
tlint  they,  together  with  the  Cherokees,  Creeks,  and  Seminolcs, 
having  outlived  the  game,  have  ceased,  from  necessity,  to  be 
hunters.  They  derive  such  subsistence  as  their  manner  of  life, 
and  general  abandonment  of  portions  of  these  tribes  to  ardent 
spirits  will  permit,  from  the  soil.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  indi- 
vidual comfort  enjoyed,  and  an  exception,  in  such  cases,  from  the 
common  plague  of  drunkenness,  particularly  among  the  Cherokees 
and  Chickasaws,  which  is  found,  also,  though  not  to  the  same 
extent,  among  the  Chactaws.  There  is  nothing  in  the  condition 
of  individual  families  that  could  lead  us  to  hope  for  any  improve- 
ment am  .  the  Creeks  and  Seminoles.  The  annuities  derived 
from  the  Government,  under  treaties  with  them  for  cessions  of  their 
lands,  are  the  main  dependence  of  these  latter  tribes ;  and  these,  it 
is  found  necessary,  sometimes,  to  pledge  a  year  in  advance,  for  corn 
to  subsist  upon.     We  merely  observe,  in  regard  to  the  Chactaws, 

38 


298 


INDIAN  TRIBES   OF   NORTH  AMERICA. 


that  the  custom  of  flattening  the  heads  of  infants  formerly  prevailed 
among  them. 

The  Chcrokees  appear  to  be  a  homogeneous  tribe,  originating  in 
a  different  region  from  the  one  now  occupied  by  them.  The  other 
three  southern  tribes  have  been  more  or  less  formed  by  the  admix- 
ture of  dispersed,  or  conquered  bands;  and  we  have  no  evidence  of 
their  migration  from  any  other  quarter.  Tliey  all,  however,  in 
general  characteristics,  resemble  the  othsr  great  branches  of  their 
race.  Circumstances  may  occasionally  impress  some  peculiar  fea- 
ture upon  different  tribes,  but  in  the  whole  extent  of  their  manners, 
customs,  institutions,  and  opinions,  there  is  nothing  which  can  pre- 
clude the  idea  of  their  comn\on  origin. 

Lntterly  the  southern  tribes  have  excited  more  than  common 
observation ;  and  the  critical  state  of  tlieir  affairs  has  directed  much 
of  the  public  attention  to  them.  Their  reputed  improvements  in 
the  elements  of  social  life,  and  the  attempt  made  by  some  of  thciu 
to  establish  independent  governments,  have  led  to  the  belief  with 
many,  that  the  crisis  of  their  fate  is  passed,  and  tliat  a  new  era  is 
before  them.  If  they  can  be  induced  to  pursue  the  course  recom- 
mended by  their  best  friends,  and  flee  from  the  vicinity  of  the  white 
settlements,  and  establish  themselves  permanently  beyond  the  Mis- 
sissippi, and  the  Government  will  accompany  them  with  the  means 
of  protection  and  improvement,  this  hope  may  be  realized — if  not, 
they  will  but  follow  the  fate  of  too  many  of  the  tribes  that  have 
gone  before  them. 

Such  is  a  general  view  of  the  past  condition,  and  present  situation, 
of  the  various  tribes  of  Indians  who  occupy  any  portion  of  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  or  who  have 
passed  that  great  barrier,  and  sought,  in  the  immense  plains  of  the 
west,  a  land  of  refuge  and  of  safety.  The  great  outlines  of  their 
character  are  easily  delineated.  In  all  their  essential  features,  tlicy 
are  now  what  they  were  at  the  discovery.  Indolent  and  improvi- 
dent, they  neither  survey  the  wants  of  the  future,  nor  provide  foj 


HISTORY   OF  THE 


299 


I'i  •  ii.  The  men  are  free,  and  the  women  are  slaves.  They  are 
r>'str.iincd  by  no  moral  or  religious  obligations,  but  willingly  yield 
llieinsclvcs  to  the  fiercest  passions.  Lost  in  the  most  degrading- 
suporstition,  they  look  upon  nature  with  a  vacant  eye,  never  in- 
(luiring  into  the  causes,  or  the  consequences  of  the  great  revolutions 
of  nature,  or  into  the  structure  or  operations  of  their  own  minds. 
Their  existence  is  essentially  a  physical  one,  limited  to  the  grati- 
fication of  tL?ir  appetites,  and  the  indulgence  of  their  passions. 
Mental  or  moral  improvement  is  not  embraced  by  a  single  desire 
for  the  one  or  the  other.  As  the  only  occupations  of  the  men  are 
war  and  hunting,  their  early  discipline,  and  their  habitual  exertions, 
are  directed  to  these  pursuits;  and  as  their  faculties  are  confined 
within  narrow  limits,  they  acquire  an  ardor,  intensity,  and  power, 
unknown  in  a  different  state  of  society.  Marvellous  tales  are 
related  of  the  sagacity  with  which  the  Indians  penetrate  the  forest, 
[)urNuing  their  course  with  unerring  skill  and  precision,  and  taking 
all  their  measures  with  a  precaution  which  leaves  little  to  accident. 
Ill  this  application  of  their  powers,  they  resemble  many  of  the 
inferior  animals,  which,  by  some  mysterious  process,  are  enabled 
to  return  to  places  whence  they  have  been  taken,  although  every 
effort  may  have  been  made  to  deceive  them.  The  Indians  observe, 
accurately,  the  face  of  the  country,  the  courses  of  the  streams,  the 
weather-beaten  sides  of  the  trees,  and  every  other  permanent  land- 
mark which  can  guide  them  through  the  world  of  the  forest.  And 
after  all  due  allowance  for  exaggeration,  enougli  of  sober  truth  will 
remain  to  e.xcite  our  surprise  at  the  almost  intuitive  sagacity  dis- 
pl  lyed  by  these  rude  hunters  in  the  toils  of  tli^  chase.  The  splen- 
dor of  victory  is  in  due  proportion  to  the  slaughter  of  their  enemy, 
and  in  an  inverse  proportion  to  their  own  loss ;  and  it  is  a  point  of 
honor  with  all  the  leatlers  of  the  war  parties,  to  bring  back  as  many 
braves,  or  warriors,  as  possible.  How  terrible  they  are  to  a  van- 
(|uished  and  prostrate  foe,  the  whole  history  of  our  warfare  with 
them  but  too  mournfully  tells.     They  neither  expect  m^rcy  nor 


300 


INDIAN   TRIBES   OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


yield  it.  Their  solicitude  for  the  preservation  of  life  too  often 
degcner.ates  into  rank  cowardice.  But  when  escape  is  impossible, 
and  the  hour  of  trial  comes,  they  meet  their  fate  with  a  heroic  forti- 
tude, which  would  not  di^ihonor  the  siernest  martyr  of  civil  or 
religious  freedom  that  ever  went  from  the  stake  to  l)is  reward. 
Tiieir  conduct  in  this  appalling  extremity  has  been  the  theme  of 
wonder  and  description  since  they  themselves  have  been  known  to 
us.  All  that  is  contemptuous  in  expression  is  poured  upon  theii 
enemies ;  all  that  is  elevated  in  feeling  is  given  to  their  country ; 
all  that  concerns  life,  its  joys,  or  terrors,  is  cast  behind  them  like  a 
worthless  thing.  From  infancy  they  have  looked  forward  to  this 
hour  of  suffering  and  triumph  us  a  possible  event.  They  have 
licard  of  it  in  the  stories  of  the  old,  and  in  the  songs  of  the  young. 
They  have  seen  it  in  the  triumphant  death  of  many  a  fierce  captive 
enemy,  whose  song  of  defiance  has  been  stimulated  by  the  impulse 
of  his  own  heart. 

So  far  as  natural  affections  depend  upon  natural  instinct,  they 
participate  with  us,  as  well  as  with  the  brute  creation,  in  their  enjoy- 
ment. We  do  not,  of  course,  sjieak  now  of  those  half,  or  entirely 
civdized  families,  upon  whose  minds  and  hearts  education  and 
social  advantages  have  shed  their  influence,  but  of  the  Indian,  as 
such ;  to  him  who  owes  nothing  to  culture,  and  but  little  to  habit. 
It  is  idle  to  suppose  that  he  feels  and  cherishes  those  kindly 
emotions  of  the  heart,  which  transport  us  beyond  the  magic  circle 
of  self,  and  give  us  the  foretaste  of  another  existence.  Their  hospi- 
tality is  more  the  hospitality  of  improvidence  than  of  feeling.  The 
kettle  of  the  Indian,  while  he  has  any  thing  to  put  in  it,  is  always 
on  the  fire,  filled  with  victuals  for  his  family,  and  for  all  who  entei 
his  wigwam. 


AN    ESSAY 

ON  THE 

HISTORY 

OF  THE 


NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


BY 


JAMES  HALL. 


PART   FIRST. 

The  North  American  Indians,  when  discovered  by  the  Europeans, 
were  a  race  of  saA'ages,  who  had  made  no  advances  whatever  towards 
civilization.  They  dwelt  in  the  wilderness,  subsisted  by  hunting, 
and  had  no  permanent  dwellings.  They  were  lodged  either  in 
portable  tents,  or  in  huts  made  of  bark,  or  earth;  and  had  no 
houses,  or  other  edifices,  constructed  of  durable  materials ;  nor  any 
towns,  or  stationary  places  of  residence ;  their  villages  being  mere 
encampments,  at  spots  of  occasional  or  habitual  resort.  They  had 
no  governments,  or  national  organization  ;  being  divided  into  fami- 
lies, or  tribes,  who  were  independent  of  each  other,  and  portions  of 
whom  occasionally  united  together  fo  a  season,  to  resist  a  common 
danger,  or  to  join  in  the  rites  of  a  common  superstition.  They  had 
no  industry :  produced  nothing  by  labor,  except  a  few  vegetables  for 
present  use ;  possessed  no  trade,  nor  commerce ;  and,  of  course,  no 

(301) 


302 


AN   ESSAY   ON    THE   HISTORY   OF 


nioncv,  nor  otlier  medium  of  exchange.  Tlicy  kc[)t  no  donieslio 
animals,  nor  had  they  any  property,  except  in  their  arms  and  nide 
canoes.  We  have  no  evidence  that  tliey  entertained  any  defuiito 
ideas  of  a  future  state,  or  of  a  Supreme  Being;  and  althoiigli  ihcy 
had  many  vague  notions  of  supernatural  beings,  and  of  anotlif'r 
state  of  existence,  yet  we  are  certain  that  they  [jrofesscd  no  com- 
mon faith,  nor  exercised  any  general  form  of  religion.  Each  tribe 
had  some  shadowy  superstitious,  scarcely  credited  by  themselves, 
and  which,  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  seldom  outlived  the  genera 
tions  in  which  they  were  conceived.  They  made  nothing,  the^ 
erected  nothing,  they  established  nothing,  which  might  vindicate, 
to  succeeding  generations,  their  character  as  rational  beings ;  and 
thoy  seein  to  have  been  distinguished  from  the  brute  creation  hy 
little  else  than  the  faculty  of  speech,  and  the  possession  of  reason- 
ing powers,  which  appear  scarcely  to  have  been  exercised.  Still, 
they  were  human  beings,  as  much  entitled  to  the  sympathy  of  man- 
kind, as  if  their  claims  to  respect  had  been  greater;  and  their 
condition  and  history  present  curious  subjects  of  inquiry  to  the 
philosopher  and  philanthropist. 

Much  curiosity  has  been  excited  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  this 
people,  and  many  ingenious  attempts  have  been  made  to  trace  theii 
des(;eut  from  some  of  the  existing  nations  of  Europe  and  Asia.  All 
these  theories  have  proved  fallacious,  and  we  speak  the  common 
sentiment  of  all  rational  inquirers  on  this  subject,  when  we  asseri 
that  no  fact  has  been  discovered,  which  would  lead  to  a  just 
inference,  that  the  Aborigines  of  North  America  have,  at  any  time, 
been  more  civilized  than  '.hey  are  at  present;  or  whicli  would 
render  it  even  probable,  that  they  are  a  branch  of  any  existing 
people  more  civilized  tlian  themselves.  The  more  reasona])le 
opinion  is,  that  they  are  a  primitive  people,  a  distinct  branch  of 
the  human  family,  separated  from  the  common  stock  at  some 
remote  period,  in  pursuance  of  the  same  inscrutal)le  decree  of 
Providence  which  set  apart  the  ni>gro  from  tlie  white  man.     !Io\v 


THE  NORTH   A.MKRICAN   INDIANS. 


303 


llicy  r,;urio  to  this  continent  cannot  now  be  told  ;  time  luis  eirarcd 
tlio  footsteps  of  the  progenitors  of  tlie  nice;  and  it  woidd  he  as 
iuipossil)le  now  to  trace  out  their  j)ath,  as  it  wonhl  Ije  to  unfold  the 
slid  moH!  mysterious  act  of  the  hand  of  God,  which  peopled  the 
islands  of  the  ocean. 

In  the  course  of  these  inquiries,  much  stress  has  been  laid  upon 
the  <1iscovery  of  certain  works  of  art,  which  some  have  supposed  to 
1)0  the  remains  of  a  people  more  civili/i'd  than  the  present  race  of 
Indians,  while  others  believe  them  to  have  been  constructed  by 
this  race,  in  a  higher  state  of  cultivation,  from  which  they  have 
since  receded.  We  think  these  theories  equally  defuclive,  IVoni  the 
obvious  consideration,  that  there  is  not  evinced,  in  the  construction 
of  any  of  these  works,  a  degree  of  skill  beyond  that  of  which  the 
present  Indian  is  capable.  There  is  no  mechanical  skill  whatever, 
no  mathematical  knowledge,  nor  any  great  display  of  ingenuity, 
evinced  in  any  of  them.  They  are,  for  the  most  part,  comj)osed  of 
loo.se  earth,  heaped  up  in  huge  piles,  more  remarkable  for  their 
volume  than  their  form  or  structure.  No  wood  nor  metal  has  been 
found  in  them ;  and  in  the  few  instances  where  stone  has  been 
discovered,  it  has  not  borne  the  impress  of  any  tool,  while  the 
remains  of  masonry  have  been  so  problematical,  as  not  to  afford  the 
evidence  upon  vvhich  any  hypothesis  could  be  safely  founded. 

The  mounds  scattered  profusely  over  the  great  central  plain  of 
the  Mississippi,  have  attracted  attention  chiefly  on  account  of  their 
number  and  size ;  and,  it  has  been  plausibly  argued,  that  the 
present  race  of  Indians,  with  their  known  indolence  and  aversion 
to  labor,  and  their  ignorance  of  all  tools  and  machinery,  would 
never  have  submitted  to  the  toil  requisite  for  so  great  a  work.  But 
this  argument  is  insufficient.  In  order  to  appreciate  the  laborious- 
ness  of  this  work,  it  would  be  necessary  to  ascertain  the  numbers 
engaged  in  it,  and  the  time  employed  in  its  completion.  If  we 
suppose  that  these  mounds  were  burying-places ;  that  the  bones  of 
the  dead  were  de|)osited  on  the  ground,  and  earth  brought  in  small 


804 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTOHY   OF 


jiiirccis  fniin  llio  surroiiiidiiitr  sui'lai'c  and  licniicd  over  tlicni,  nnd 
tliat  siiiHTssivo  liiyors  wore  d(•l)(l^dtl•(l  IVoiii  time  to  liiiu',  oiio  aliove 
llie  other,  it  will  ho  seen  that  the  acciiriuilatioii  inijfht  oventiially 
be  ^'reat,  though  the  lal)or  would  be  gradually  hoatowcd,  and  tiio 
toil  almost  imperceptible.  Wlien  we  consider  the  teiuleney  of  all 
communities  to  adhere  tenaciously  to  burial-places,  consecrated  liy 
long  use,  it  will  not  be  tho\iglit  strange  that  savages,  however 
erratic  in  their  lialnts,  should  contiiuic  to  bury  their  people,  at  the 
same  spots,  through  many  successive  generations.  Supposing  this 
to  have  been  the  process,  these  mounds  may  have  been  growing 
through  many  successive  ages,  and  neither  their  niunber  nor  their 
bulk  would  be  matter  of  surprise.  We  have  an  example  in  our 
own  times  to  justify  the  belief  that  such  was  their  practice.  Blaciv 
Uird,  a  celebrated  chief  of  the  Mahas,  was  buried,  by  his  own 
directions,  on  an  euiinencc  overlooking  the  Missouri  River.  lie 
was  seated  on  his  favorite  horse,  dressed,  painted,  and  armed,  as  if 
prepared  for  war,  and  the  horse  and  man  being  i»laced  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  in  the  erect  posture  of  lite,  the  earth  was 
heaped  up  around  them  until  hoth  were  covered.  A  consideraljle 
mound  would  be  made  l)y  this  single  interment;  and  is  it  impro- 
bal)le,  that  a  spot  thus  signalized,  would,  in  after  generations,  be 
sought  by  those  who  would  desire  to  place  the  remains  of  their 
relatives  under  the  guardianship  of  the  spirit  of  !i  great  warrior? 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  these  moimds  are  usually-  found  in 
places  suitable  for  the  sites  of  towns  ;  and  we  think  that  the  largest 
mounds,  and  the  most  numerous  groups,  always  exist  in  tli(\  most 
fertile  tracts  of  country,  and  on  the  borders  of  rivers.  These  are 
the  points  at  which  the  productions  of  nature,  suitalile  for  food, 
would  l)e  most  abundant,  and  where  savage  hordes  would  natm-allv 
congregate,  during  the  inclemency  of  tlie  winter  .season.  At  some 
of  these  ])laces,  the  evidences  of  former  habitation  still  remain  ;  but 
many  of  them  are  on  the  open  prairie,  covered  with  long  grass, 
and   exhibiting   no   sign   of  recent   population,   while   others   are 


THE  NOinil   A.NrHRICAN   INDIANS. 


805 


coiicciilcil  ill  llic  tiiiij^lcil  loi'csl,  in  all  ils  prisliiic  liixnriimi'o,  :iim1 
ovcrifrowii  willi  (rrciit  trcos,  whoso  iv^rs  m;iy  he  ('(iiiiiHilcd  bv  con- 
lufics.  'i'licy  arc,  tlicn'forc,  of  i^iviit  niitiiiiiity ,  jukI  wliilc  wn 
hclii'Vi'  tliiit,  !imon<r  the  present  iiili!ii)it:ints  of  the  wilileriicss,  there 
are  traces  of  the  custom  to  wliieli  we  have  iilluded  as  the  probahlo 
cause  of  these  remains,  wo  also  think  that  the  praclic(\  has  ij;onc 
into  disuse.  It  is  not,  improl»al)le,  that  the  pressure  of  tlie  white 
population  durinLf  tlie  last  liiree  centuries,  tlic  use  of  ardent  spirits, 
;uid  the  introduction  of  foreign  diseases,  liavc  mndilied  their  former 
habits,  by  rendering'  them  more  erratic,  fomenting  wars,  and  dividing 
tribes,  and  greatly  reducing  their  numbers. 

Another  class  of  remains,  of  a  highly  curious  character,  have 
recently  been  discovered  in  the  Wisconsin  Territory.  These  are 
mounds  of  earth,  having  the  outlines  and  figures  of  animals,  raised 
in  relief,  upon  the  surface  of  the  plain.  They  arc  U'l^  uumerous, 
and  the  original  forms  so  well  preserved,  that  the  respective  species 
of  animals  intended  to  be  represented,  are  easily  recognized.  The 
figures  are  large,  as  much  as  thirty  or  foriy  feet  in  length,  and 
raised  several  feet  above  the  natural  surface ;  and  the  bodies,  heads, 
limbs,  and,  in  some  instances,  the  smaller  members,  such  as  the 
ears,  arc  distinctly  visible.  They  represent  the  buflalo,  the  bear, 
tlie  deer,  the  eagle,  the  tortoise,  the  lizard,  &c.,  drawn  without 
much  skill,  and  are  precisely  the  figures  which  we  find  traced  on 
the  dressed  bufTalo  skins  of  the  present  i-ace  of  Indians,  and  display- 
ing tlie  same  style  in  the  grouping,  and  a  similar  degree  of  skill  in 
the  art  of  drawing.  They  arc  so  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the 
Indians,  as  to  leave  no  doubt  of  their  origin;  nor  do  we  rpicstion 
the  fairn(!ss  of  tlie  inference  which  would  impute  them  to  the  same 
people,  and  the  identical  period,  which  produced  the  class  of  mounds 
Siipposed  to  have  been  sepulchres  for  the  dead.  We  are  indebted 
for  our  knowledge  of  these  highly  curious  relics,  to  Ur.  John  Locke, 
of  (Cincinnati,  an  emhient  geologist,  who  carefully  examined,  mea 

39 


Si'Xi 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE   HISTORY   OK 


siirel.  nnd  delineated  them,  and  whose  very  interesting  description 
mav  be  found  in  Silliman's  Journal. 

The  remains  of  ancient  fortifications  are  decidedly  the  most 
curious  of  all  the  relics  of  our  red  populntion  which  have  l)een 
handed  down  to  us;  and  they  have  caused  rrrent  doul)t.  in  n^frard 
to  their  orinin,  ni  rnnsequencc  of  their  inn<Tnitude,  and  the  (h>Lrree 
of  skill  evinced  in  their  construction.  Tliat  they  were  niihiary 
defences,  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  for  which  lliey  were  intendcMl, 
and  exhibitinsx  much  intjenuity,  are  points  which  may  lie  conceded  ; 
but  some,  whose  opinions  are  entided  to  irreat  respect,  have  main- 
tained further,  that  these  works  exhibit  a  knowledsre  of  the  science 
of  eniTiiicerinff,  as  applied  in  modern  warfare,  far  l)eyond  the  pov/ers 
of  combination  and  extent  of  knowledrro,  of  any  savase  people,  and 
which  prove  tliem  to  he  the  production  of  a  more  civilized  people. 
We  think  these  inferences  are  more  plausil)le  than  just. 

The  discoverers  of  North  America  found  tlie  villaojes  of  tlie 
Indians  surrounded  by  stockades,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  delinea- 
tion of  an  Indian  town  to  be  found  in  any  old  book,  in  which  there 
is  not  a  representation  of  some  form  of  exterior  defence.  This  fact 
show  ,  that,  like  their  descendants,  they  lived  on  such  terms  with 
their  neiffhbors,  as  made  it  necessary  for  them  to  be  continually  on 
their  Gruard  against  surprise  ;  and,  although  their  habits  may  have 
been  those  of  a  wanderin<T  people,  and  their  towns  then,  as  now, 
places  of  periodical  resort,  yet  there  may  have  been  periods  of  a 
more  protracted  abode  at  one  spot,  and  occasions  when  it  became 
essential  to  make  a  stand  against  their  enemies,  and  1o  take  more 
than  ordinarv  precautions  airriinst  the  assaults  of  a  superior  force. 
If  such  was  ever  the  case,  one  great  difliculty  is  removed  from  this 
question. 

The  Indians  are  a  military  people.  They  cultivate  no  art  of 
.socinl  life,  and  the  only  road  to  distinction  is  the  war  path.  The 
sole  ambition  of  their  leading  nion  is  to  excel  in  war.  Wiiatever 
degree  of  wisdom,  of  cunning,  or  of  any  description  of  t;ilent,  may 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS, 


307 


exist  in  the  minds  of  the  chiefs,  or  of  aspiring  men,  must  find  its 
exercise  in  the  batUc-ficld,  in  plans  to  annoy  others,  or  defrnd 
themselves.  The  intellect  of  such  a  people,  while  it  would  remiiin 
stationary  and  unproductive,  in  regard  to  every  other  kind  of 
knowledge,  and  subject  cf  reflection,  would  become  sharpened,  and 
to  some  extent  cultivated,  in  relation  to  military  affairs;  like  tlie 
trees  of  their  native  forests,  the  martial  art  would  grow  vigorously 
in  th6  soil  which  gave  nourishment  to  no  other  production.  It  is 
true,  that  even  this  art  could  arrive  at  no  high  degree  of  perfection 
among  a  people  who  had  no  mechanical  ingenuity,  no  knowledge 
of  the  use  of  metals,  nor  any  of  the  implements  or  engines  of  war 
or  of  industry  belonging  to  a  cultivated  people— Avithout,  in  short, 
any  of  the  kindred  arts  or  sciences.  With  no  weapons  but  the 
bow,  the  spear  of  wood,  and  the  war-club,  without  magazines  and 
the  means  of  transporting  provisions,  the  range  of  improvement  in 
military  tactics  must  have  been  confined  to  very  narrow  limits. 
We  only  contend  that,  so  far  as  the  scope  of  their  knowledge  and 
experience  in  war  extended,  it  gave  employment  to  all  the  in- 
genuity of  the  people  which  was  at  all  attempted  to  be  exercised. 
Thus  we  have  seen  that,  while  the  Indians  have  resisted  every 
effort  to  introduce  among  them  our  social  arts,  they  have  eagerly 
adopted  the  use  of  the  horse  and  of  fire-arras;  they  listen  with 
indifference  or  contempt  to  our  explanations  of  the  comlbrts  of  life, 
and  of  the  advantages  of  agriculture  and  trade,  and  witness,  without 
desire,  the  useful  qualities  of  the  ox,  the  axe,  and  the  plough ;  but 
they  grasp  with  avidity  the  knife  and  the  tomahawk. 

Among  the  various  vicissitudes  of  a  continual  warfare,  it  must 
sometimes  have  become  necessary,  even  for  a  people  habitually 
waudering  in  their  habits,  to  make  a  stand  against  their  enemies. 
We  know  that  wars  for  the  conquest  of  territory  have  been  common 
among  the  Aborigmes,  and  that  tribes  have  often  been  dispossessed 
of  their  ancient  hunting-grounds,  and  driven  to  seek  other  lands. 
There   must  have  been  occasions  when   pride,   obstinacy,  or  a 


SdS 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


devoted  attachment  to  a  particular  spot,  iiiipolled  them  to  risk 
jxtermination  rather  than  retreat  before  a  superior  force ;  or  wlien 
a  desperate  remnant  of  a  brave  and  fierce  people,  surrounded  by 
foes,  could  only  retreat  from  their  own  countr}'  into  the  lands  of  a 
hostile  nation.  In  such  emergencies  they  must  have  resorted  to 
extraordinary  means  of  defence;  and  necessity  would  suggest  those 
artificial  aids  which,  in  all  ages,  and  in  every  state  of  society,  have 
been  called  to  the  support  of  valor  and  physical  strength.  They 
■would  be  driven  to  the  construction  of  fortifications;  and  thougli 
Avholly  unskilful  at  first,  their  warlike  projjcnsities  and  martial 
habits  would  render  them  fruitful  of  expedients,  and  lead  to  a 
rapid  advancement  in  the  art  of  improving  the  advantages  aiiu 
covering  the  weaknesses  of  their  position.  The  reader  of  American 
history  will  readily  recall  numerous  instances  in  which  the  Indians 
have  protected  their  armies  and  sm-rounded  their  towns  by  breast- 
works of  logs,  and  the  step  from  those  to  ramparts  of  earth  Mould 
be  natural  and  easy. 

'^^riic  evidences  of  military  science  which  have  been  detected  m 
some  of  these  works,  deserve  attention.  Thes'c  have  been  found  in 
the  convenience  of  the  potitions  in  reference  to  supplies  ^  water — 
in  the  existence  of  covered  ways,  of  traverses  protecting  gatewavs, 
of  angles,  and  even  bastions.  As  these  are  parts  of  that  combina- 
tion which  forms  a  regular  system,  they  are  supposed  to  be  the 
results  of  science ;  but  this  may  be  a  mistake ;  for  it  is  not  the 
existence  of  the  parts,  Ijut  their  combination  and  harmony,  which 
alford  the  j)roof  of  what  we  term  science.  The  perfection  of  science 
often  coi.sists  in  the  adaptation  of  die  most  simple  elements  to  a 
di'sire(i  [)urp(!se,  and  the  discovery  and  proper  arrangement  of  the 
laws  by  which  cau.ses  are  made  to  produce  uniform  elfects.  The 
s:ivMi;c  may  know  nothing  of  the  laws,  but  may  adopt  the  i)riii- 
t'ipli's;  l)i'cause  tli're  are  some  eli-nuMitary  principles  so  inseparably 
connc  rted  with  ever}'  mechanical  operation,  Uiat  it  is  impossible  to 
cunduct  that  operation  conveniently  without  adopting  those  rudi- 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


SO^ 


niciils  of  tlic  art.  Tho  economy  of  labor,  in  connecting  two  points 
by  a  straight  instead  of  a  serpentine  line  of  embankment,  might 
readily  occur  even  to  the  mind  of  a  savage ;  and  a  military  leader, 
iiowever  inexperienced,  in  jjlanning  a  line  of  defence,  would 
naturally  consider  and  strengthen  the  points  of  attack.  I'liat 
an  intelligent  savage  leader,  watchful,  crafty,  and  e.vpert  in  devices, 
as  we  know  them  to  be,  and  experienced  in  his  own  mode  of  war- 
fare, sliould  throw  out  a  salient  angle  to  overlook  and  command  a 
line  i)f  defence,  wotild  not  be  surprising;  and  it  woidd  be  still  less 
remarkable,  that  he  sliould  pitch  lii.scamp  near  a  su])ply  of  water, 
and  construct  a  covered  way  by  which  the  females  could  pass  in 
safety  to  the  reservoir  of  that  indispensable  element.  If  an  opening 
must  be  left  in  a  line  of  breastwork  for  egress,  it  would  be  natural 
to  throw  up  a  parapet  behind  it  ibr  the  protection  of  tlic  warriors 
engaged  in  its  defence,  in  case  of  assault.  Ail  these  are  among  the 
simple  and  obvious  expedients  which  form  the  rudiments  of  the  art 
of  fortification  :  that  all  of  them  would  be  combined  in  a  first 
attempt  to  fortify  a  savage  camp,  is  not  likely ;  but  that  some 
of  them  would  be  adopted  on  one  occasion,  and  others  l)e  added 
subsequently,  as  necessity  might  suggest  their  expediency-,  does 
not  seem  improbable.  It  is  true,  also,  that  some  of  the  largest 
works,  of  which  the  remains  are  found,  when  delineated  on. paper, 
exhibit  angles  and  bastions,  and  a  general  irregularity  of  outline, 
which  appear  to  be  the  result  of  a  plan  adapted  to  some  system  of 
defence,  when  an  examination  of  the  ground  would  show  them  to 
be  the  mere  effects  of  necessity.  On  tracing  some  of  these  lines 
upon  the  spot,  it  has  been  found  that  the  position  occupies  an 
eminence,  or  ground  higher  than  that  around  it,  and  that  the  lines 
enclosing  the  table-land  of  the  summit  follow  the  sinuosities  of  the 
exterior  lines  of  plane,  and  keeping  along  the  edge  of  the  declivity, 
form  retiring  angles  in  passing  round  the  heads  of  ravines,  or 
gullies,  and  again  shoot  out  into  salient  angles,  to  occupy  pro- 


310 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


triuliug  points,  and,  in  the  latter  case,  sometimes  swell  into  a  series 
of  angles,  developing  the  form  of  a  bastion. 

How  far  the  habits  of  the  Indians  have  been  modified  by  their 
intercc>urse  with  the  whites,  cannot  be  ascertained  with  certainty, 
but  we  have  data  from  which  to  draw  conclusions.  The  earliest 
accounts  of  the  Indians  represent  them  as  being,  intellectuallv, 
what  they  now  arc.  They  had  no  art  then  which  they  have  not 
now ;  nor  has  any  trace  been  found  of  any  art  which  they  once 
possessed,  and  4iave  since  lost.  The  pressure  "of  the  whites  has 
driven  them  from  the  sea-coasts  to  the  great  plains  of  the  West,  and 
some  change  must  have  residted  from  the  difference  in  the  character 
of  the  country,  and  modes  of  procuring  food.  The  use  of  the  horse, 
of  fire-arms,  and  of  other  weapons  of  metal,  has  not  been  without 
effect.  Mounted  on  this  noble  animal,  they  now  overtake  the 
buffalo,  and  procure  abundant  supplies  of  food.  The  gun  has 
added  wonderfully  to  the  facility  of  hunting,  and  their  military 
tactics  must  have  been  entirely  changed.  They  are  proud  and 
fearless  riders,  delighting  in  the  chase,  in  horse-racing,  and  in  all 
exercises  in  which  that  animal  is  the  instrument  or  companion  of 
man.  The  introduction  of  ardent  spirits  has  done  much  to  deprave 
and  enfeeble  the  Indian ;  and  the  prevalency  of  the  small-pox  and 
other  diseases  communicated  by  the  whites,  has  thinned  their  luun- 
bers  with  fearful  havoc.  With  these  few  exceptions,  there  seems 
to  l)e  little  change  in  their  character,  or  condition,  since  the  dis- 
covery. The  moral  effects  of  their  intercourse  with  the  whites,  we 
shall  consider  more  fully  in  another  place. 

Of  the  two  parties  that  were  brought  into  contact  by  the  discovery 
of  North  America,  it  may  be  remarked,  that  they  stood  on  the 
opposite  extremes  of  refinement  and  barbarism ;  the  North  Ameri- 
can savage  not  having  advanced  a  single  step  in  civilization,  while 
tlie  European  possessed  all  the  learning,  the  cultivation,  and  the 
mechanical  ingenuity  of  the  age ;  the  one  was  a  heathen,  the  other 
enjoyed  the  Christian  faith  in  the  purest  form  in  which  it  then 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


81.1 


existed.  It  may  not  be  unintcrestin<T  to  trace  out  tlie  be"iiuiinf  of 
an  intercourse  between  races  thus  opposed  in  character;  because, 
in  the  examination  which  we  propose  to  make  of  the  relations  since 
established,  it  is  important  to  observe  the  foundation  which  was 
laid,  and  to  notice  the  prejudices  and  antipathies  which  have  per- 
vaded and  perverted  that  intercourse. 

We  do  not  assume  to  have  made  any  new  discovery,  when  we 
assert,  that  there  are  more  popular  errors  in  existence  in  respect  to 
the  Indians,  than  in  regard  to  almost  any  other  matter  which  has 
been  so  much  and  so  frequently  discussed.      These  have  arisen 
partly  out  of  national  antipatliies,  ])artly  out  of  the  misrepresenta- 
tions of  interested   persons;   and,  to  some  extent,  are  inseparable 
from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  which  is  intricate  in  itself,  and 
delicate  in  many  of  its  bearings.     The  usual  mode  of  disposing  of 
the  question,  by  asserting  that  the  Indians  are  savages,  not  capable 
of  civilization,  nor  to  l)c  dealt  ^^•ith  as  rational  beings,  is  unchristain 
and   unphilosophical.      We  cannot   assent   to   such  a  conclusion, 
without  discarding  the  liglit  of  revelation,  the  philosophy  of  the 
human  mind,  and  the  results  of  a  vast  deal  of  experimental  know- 
ledge.    The  activity  of  body  and  mind  displayed  by  the  Indian  in 
all  his  enterprises,  the  propriety  and  closeness  of  rea.soning,  and  the 
occasional  flaslies  of  dignity  and  patlios  in  some  of  their  speeches, 
sutTiciently  establisli  the  claims  of  this  race  to  a  respectable  station 
in  |)nint  of  intellect;   and  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  they 
have  worse  hearts,  or  more  violent  pa.ssions,  than  the  rest  of  the 
liiinian  family,  except  so  far  as  their  natures  have  been  perverted 
l)y  outward  circumstances.     Why  is  it,  then,  that  they  are  savaaes  ? 
A\'iiy  have  they  not  ascended  in  the  great  scale  of  civil  subordina- 
tion ?     Why  are  they  ferocious,  ignorant,  and  brutal,  while  we, 
their  neighbors,  are  civilized  and  polished  ?     WJiy  is  it  that,  while 
our  int(>rcoursc  with  every  other  people  is  humane,  enlightened, 
just — having  its   foundations   fastened   upon   the   broad   basis  of 
reciprocity,  we  shrink  with  horror  from  the  Indian,  spurn  him 


.'!12 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


from  our  firesides  and  altars,  and  will  not  suffer  the  ermine  of  our 
ju(lg(>s  to  be  tarnished  by  his  presence?  Why  is  it,  that  wliile 
nearly  all  the  world  is  united,  as  it  were,  in  one  great  and  concen- 
trated effort  to  spread  the  light  of  knowledge,  to  burst  the  shackles 
of  superstition,  to  encourage  industry,  and  to  cultivate  the  gentle 
and  domestic  virtues,  one  little  remnant  of  the  human  family  stands 
unaffected  Iiy  the  general  amelioration,  a  dark  and  lonely  monu- 
ment of  irretrievable  ignorance  and  incorrigible  ferocity  ? 

It  is  in  the  hope  of  answering  some  of  these  (piestions  that  this 
discussion  is  attempted  ;  and,  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  successful 
result,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  beyond  our  own  times,  and  to 
examine  events  in  which  we  are  not  immediately  concerned  as  a 
people. 

If  we  refer  to  the  earliest  intercourse  between  the  existing 
Christian  nations  and  the  barbarous  tribes,  in  difTercnt  quarters 
of  the  world,  we  find  the  disposition  and  conduct  of  the  latter  to 
have  been,  at  first,  timid  and  pacific,  and  that  the  first  breaches  of 
harmony  arose  out  of  the  aggressions  committed  by  the  former. 
When,  therefore,  we  speak  of  our  present  relations  with  them,  as 
growing  out  of  necessity,  and  as  resulting  from  the  faithlessness 
and  ferocity  of  the  savage  character,  we  assume  a  j)osition  whicli  is 
not  supported  1)}'^  the  facts.  That  a  great  allowance  is  to  be  niiule 
for  tlie  disparity  between  civilized  and  savage  nations,  is  true ; 
and  it  is  ecpially  true,  that  the  same  degree  of  confidence  and 
cordiality  cannot  exist  between  them  as  between  nations  who 
aclviiowledge  xi  common  religious,  moral,  and  international  code, 
which  operates  equally  upon  both  parties.  But  this  does  not 
preclude  all  confidence,  nor  prove  the  Indian  destitute  of  moral 
virtue  and  mental  capacity.  On  the  contrary,  it  must  be  admitted, 
that  the  Indians  in»  their  primitive  state  possessed  a  higher  moral 
character  than  now  belongs  to  them,  and  that  they  have  been 
degraded,  in  some  degree,  by  their  intercourse  with  civilized  men ; 
and  we  ought,  in  all  our  dealings  with  them,  to  endeavor  to  atone 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


■61} 


for  tlie  injury  done  to  them,  and  to  human  nature,  ]ty  our  drjiarturc 
from  Christian  principles,  and  to  hring  them  l)ack  to  a  state  of 
happiness  and  respectability,  at  least  equal  to  that  in  which  we 
found  them.  In  establishing  these  positions,  we  do  not  design  to 
cast  any  imputation  upon  our  own  Government,  nor  will  it  1k' 
necessary.  The  great  mistakes  in  policy,  and  the  monstrous 
crimes  committed  against  the  savage  races,  to  wliich  we  jjropose 
to  allude,  were  perpetrated  by  almost  all  civilized  niitions  before 
our  own  had  any  existence;  and  no  criminality  can  atltich  to 
us  for  a  state  of  things  in  the  creation  of  which  we  had  no  agency. 
We  know  of  no  deliberate  act  of  cruelty  or  injuslicc  towards  the 
tribes,  with  which  we  are  chargeable  as  a  people.  On  tlie  con- 
trary, our  policy  has  been  moderate  and  just,  and  distinguished,  as 
we  shall  .show,  by  a  spirit  of  benevolence.  It  is  true,  however, 
that  this  spirit  has  been  misdirected,  and  that,  \vith  the  very  Ix'st 
intentions,  we  have  done  great  wrong  to  the  Aborigines,  to  our- 
selves, and  to  humanity. 

We  shall  first  show  how  other  nations  have  acted  towards  the 
savage  tribes,  what  have  been  the  examples  set  to  us,  and  how  far 
those  examples  have  influenced  our  conduct. 

The  first  discoverers  were  the  Portuguese.  Under  Don  Ilenrv, 
a  prince,  in  point  of  knowledge  and  liberal  feeling,  a  century  in 
advance  of  tlie  age  in  which  he  lived,  this  people  pushed  their 
discoveries  into  the  Canary  Islands,  the  continent  of  Africa,  and 
tlie  East  Indies.  They  were  received  with  uniform  kindness 
by  the  natives,  who  regarded  them  as  a  superior  race  of  beings, 
iuid  were  willing  to  submit  implicitly  to  their  authority.  Had 
the  Europeans  of  that  day,  and  their  descendants,  cultivated  an 
amicable  understanding  with  these  simple  heathens,  and  rigidly 
adhered  to  a  system  of  good  faith  and  Christian  forbearance, 
there  is  no  calculating  the  advantages  that  might  have  ensued ; 
nor  is  it  to  be  doubted  that  those  ignorant  and  confiding  tribes 
would   have   yielded  themselves,   with  hardly   a   struggle,   to  the 

40 


;u 


AN    ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY    OF 


tfncliing  of  their  more  intelligent  and  powerful  neighbors.  Bwi 
so  far  from  making  the  slightest  effort  to  estal)lish  friendly  relations 
with  the  savages,  the  very  earliest  discoverers  exhibited  a  pro- 
pensity for  wanton  mischief  towards  them,  more  characteristic 
of  (lemons  than  of  men,  and  which  rendered  thorn,  and  the  religion 
they  professed,  so  odious,  that  the  benevolent  exertions  of  statesmen 
and  Christians  since  that  time  have  wholly  failed  to  eradicate  the 
deeply  rooted  prejudices  so  injudiciously  and  wickedly  excited. 
Among  a  simple  race,  who  viewed  their  visitors  with  superstitious 
reverence  as  creatures  more  than  human,  there  must  have  been  a 
mortifying  revulsion  of  feeling,  when  they  discovered  in  those 
atlmired  strangers  all  the  vices  and  wantonness  which  disgraced 
the  rudest  barbarians,  joined  to  powers  which,  they  imagined,  were 
possessed  only  by  the  gods.  "  Their  dread  and  amazement  was 
raised  to  the  highest  pitch,"  says  Lafiteau,  "  when  the  Europeans 
fired  their  cannons  and  guns  among  them,  and  they  saw  their 
companions  fall  dead  at  their  feet  without  any  enemy  at  hand,  or 
any  visible  cause  of  their  destruction." 

Alluding  to  these  transactions.  Dr.  Johnson  remarks — "  On  what 
occasion,  or  lor  what  purpose,  muskets  were  discharged  among  a 
people  harmless  and  secure,  hy  strangers,  who,  without  au)'^  right, 
visit(^d  their  coast,  it  is  not  thought  necessary  to  inform  us.  The 
Portuguese  could  fear  nothing  from  tliem,  and  had,  tlierefore,  no 
adciiuate  provocation;  nor  is  there  any  reason  to  believe  but  that 
th  y  murdered  the  Negroes  in  wanton  merriment,  perhaps  only  to 
try  bow  many  a  volley  would  destroy,  or  what  would  be  the  con- 
sternation of  those  that  should  escape.  We  are  openly  told,  that 
lliey  had  the  less  scruple  concerning  their  treatment  of  the  savage 
people,  because  thei/  scarcely  considered  them  as  distinct  from 
tjriitcs ;  and  indeed  the  practice  of  all  European  nations,  and 
among  others  of  the  English  barbarians  that  cultivate  the  southern 
islands  of  America,  proves  that  this  opinion,  however  absurd  and 
foolish,  however  wicked  and  injurious,  still  continues  to  prevail." 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDI  \NS. 


815 


"By  these  practices  the  first  discoverers  aUenatcd  tlio  natives 
from  them ;  and  whenever  a  ship  appeared,  every  one  that  could 
fly  betook  himself  to  the  mountains  and  the  woods,  so  that  nothinj? 
was  to  be  got  more  than  they  could  steal;  they  sometimes  sur- 
prised a  few  fishers  and  made  them  slaves,  and  did  what  they  could 
to  offend  the  natives  and  enrich  themselves." — [Introduction  to  the 
World  Displayed.) 

These  events  commenced  about  the  year  1392,  which  is  the  date 
of  the  discovery  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  by  the  Portuguese. 
Chivalry  was  at  its  zenith  about  the  same  time.  It  was  an  age  of 
moral  darkness  and  military  violence.  Tamerlane,  the  Tartar,  was 
reigning  in  Persia,  and  Margaret,  the  Semiramis  of  the  North,  in 
Denmark.  It  was  the  age  of  Gower  and  Chaucer,  the  fathers 
of  English  poetry,  and  of  Harry  Percy,  the  celebrated  Hotspur. 
About  the  same  time,  Wickliffe,  the  morning  star  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, had  made  the  first  English  translation  of  the  Bible,  and  IIuss 
and  Jerome  of  Prague  began  to  publish  their  doctrines.  By 
keeping  these  facts  in  mind,  we  shall  be  at  no  loss  to  account 
for  a  course  of  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  Portuguese  towards 
the  Africans,  differing  but  little  from  the  intolerance,  the  deception, 
and  the  wanton  barbarity,  which  distinguished  the  intercourse  of 
European  nations  with  each  other. 

In  1492  Columbus  gave  a  new  world  to  European  curiosity, 
avarice,  and  despotism.  It  would  be  vain  to  attempt  to  follow  the 
Spanish  conquerors  in  their  desolating  progress  through  the  islands 
and  continent  of  America.  Like  the  Portuguese,  they  were  kindly 
received ;  like  them,  they  repaid  kindness  with  cruelt}'.  Their 
footsteps  were  dyed  with  blood — violence  and  lust  marked  all  their 
actions.  Men  seemed  to  be  transformed  into  ministers  of  darkness, 
and  acted  such  deeds  in  real  life  as  the  boldest  and  darkest  imagi- 
nation has  never  ventured  to  suggest  in  fiction,  or  even  in  poetic 
phrenz3\  Bearing  the  cross  in  one  hand,  and  the  sword  in  the 
other,  combining  liigotry  with  military  rapine,  and  the  thirst  for 


816 


AN  ESSAY  ON   TIIK   HISTORY  OF 


gol.l  witli  the  lust  for  power,  they  united  in  one  vast  scliomc  all 
the  most  terrible  engines  and  worst  incentives  of  crime.  We  do 
not  know  that  there  is  to  he  found  in  history  n  recital  more  touch- 
ing lluin  the  account  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes,  or  than 
that  of  Peru  by  Pizarro.  In  each  of  these  instances  the  conquerors 
were  at  first  received  with  hospitality  by  their  confiding  victims. 
They  each  found  an  amiable  people,  possessing  many  of  the  .social 
arts,  living  happily  under  a  government  of  their  own  choice,  and 
practising  fewer  of  the  unnatural  rites  of  superstition  than  com- 
monly prevailed  among  the  heathen. 

'I'hc  discovery  and  invasion  of  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards,  under 
Hcrnan  Cortes,  occurred  in  the  sixteenth  century,  and  liie  Euro- 
peans were  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  greatness  of  the  population 
and  the  splendor  of  the  cities.  The  city  of  Mexico,  exclusive  of 
its  suburbs,  is  said  to  have  measured  ten  miles  in  circumference 
and  c  mtained,  according  to  the  Spanish  writers,  00,000  houses. 
Dr.  liobertson  thinks  it  did  not  contain  more  than  that  number 
of  inhubitanis ;  but  that  point  cannot  now  be  settled,  nor  is  it 
important.  Enough  is  known  to  satisfy  ns  that  the  people  had 
passed  from  the  savage  state,  in  which  the  subsistence  of  man  is 
chiofl}'  derived  from  fishing  and  hunting,  and  had  congregated  in 
large  towns.  They  had  a  regular  government,  and  a  system  of 
laws.  The  king  lived  in  great  state.  "  He  had,"  says  Cortes,  "  in 
this  city  of  Mexico,  such  houses  for  his  habitation,  so  deserving  of 
admiration,  that  I  cannot  sufHciently  express  their  grandeur  and 
(!xcellence ;  I  shall  therefore  only  say,  there  are  none  equal  to 
them  in  Spain''  One  of  the  Spanish  leaders,  who  is  styled 
tlio  "Anonymous  Conqueror,"  writes  thus: — "There  were  beauti- 
ful houses  belonging  to  the  nobles,  so  grand  and  numerous  in  their 
apartments,  with  such  admirable  gardens  to  them,  that  the  siglit 
of  them  filled  us  with  astonishment  and  delight.  I  entered,  from 
curiosity,  four  times  into  a  palace  belonging  to  Montezu  na,  and, 
having  pervaded  it  until  I  was  weary,  I  came  away  at  last  without 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


317 


liaving  seen  it  all.  Aroimd  a  large  court  \hvy  used  to  build 
sumptuous  halls  and  chambers,  but  there  was  one  above  all  so 
largo  that  it  was  capable  of  conlaining  upwards  of  three  thousand 
pcr.sons  without  the  least  inconvenience;  it  was  such  that  in  the 
gallery  of  it  alone  a  little  square  was  formed  where  thirty  men  on 
horseback  might  exercise."  It  is  certain,  from  the  aflirmatioa 
of  all  the  historians  of  Mexico,  that  the  army  under  Cortes, 
consisting  of  6,400  men  and  upwards,  including  the  allies,  were 
all  lodged  in  the  palace  formerly  possessed  by  King  Axajacath  ; 
and  there  remained  still  sufficient  lodging  for  Montezuma  and 
his  attendants. 

"  There  were,"  says  Gomara,  "  many  tcmiiles  in  the  city  of 
Mexico,  scattered  through  the  different  districts,  that  had  their 
towers,  in  which  were  the  chapels  and  altars  for  the  repositories 
of  tbe  idols."  "All  these  temples  had  hou.ses  belonging  to  them, 
their  priests  and  gods,  together  with  every  thing  necessary  for  their 
worship  and  service."  Cortes  says  that  he  counted  more  than  four 
hundred  temples  in  the  city  of  Cholula  alone.  They  differed, 
however,  in  size ;  some  were  mere  terraces,  of  little  height,  upon 
which  there  was  a  small  chapel  for  the  tutelary  idol — others  were 
of  stupendous  dimensions.  In  speaking  of  one  of  these,  Cortes 
declares  that  "  it  is  difficult  to  describe  its  parts,  its  grandeur,  and 
the  things  contained  in  it." 

It  is  certain  that  the  Mexicans  defended  their  cities  by  fortifica- 
tions, which  indicated  some  advance  in  the  military  art ;  they  had 
walls,  bastions,  palisades,  ditches,  and  entrenchments.  They  were 
very  inferior,  indeed,  to  those  of  Europe,  because  their  knowledge 
of  military  architecture  was  imperfect;  nor  had  they  occasion  to 
cover  themselves  from  artillery,  but  they  afforded  sufficient  proof 
of  the  industry  and  ingenuity  of  the  people. 

Taking  them  altogether,  the  Mexicans  had  many  high  and 
estimable  traits  in  their  national  character,  and  they  probably 
enjoyed  in  social  life  as  much  happiness  as  is  usually  allotted  to 


i^ 


!il8 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THK   HISTORY   OF 


man.  Speaking  of  Lasciiltcca,  a  city  of  Mexico,  Cortes  says,  "I 
was  surprised  at  its  size  and  inairnificenee.  It  is  larger  and 
stronger  than  Grenada,  contains  as  many  and  as  liandsome  build- 
ings, and  is  much  more  populous  than  that  city  was  at  tlio  time 
of  its  conrpicst.  It  is  also  much  better  supplied  with  corn,  poultry, 
game,  fresh  water,  fish,  pulse,  and  excellent  vegetables.  There  are 
in  the  market,  each  day,  thirty  thousand  persons,  including  buyers 
and  sellers,  without  mentioning  the  merchants  and  petty  dealers 
dis])ersed  over  the  city.  In  this  market  may  be  bought  every 
necessary  of  life,  clothes,  shoes,  feathers  of  all  kinds,  ornaments 
of  gold  and  silver,  as  well  wrought  as  in  any  part  of  the  world  ; 
various  kinds  of  earthenware,  of  a  superior  quality  to  that  of 
Spain;  wood,  coal,  herbs,  and  medicinal  plants.  Here  are  houses 
for  l)atlis,  and  places  for  washing  and  shearing  goats;  in  short, 
this  city  exhibits  great  regularity,  and  has  a  good  police;  the 
inhabitants  arc  peculiarly  neat,  and  far  superior  to  the  most 
industrious  of  the  Africans."  The  city  of  Cholula  is  described 
by  Bernal  Diaz  as  "resembling  Valladolid,"  and  containing  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants.  Both  of  these  cities  were  of  course  vastly 
inferior  to  the  city  of  Mexico;  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  swell  our 
pages  by  a  labored  attempt  to  ])rove  the  civilization  of  the  Mexi- 
cans. If  we  except  tlie  single  article  of  the  Christian  faith  and  the 
l^ible,  in  which  the  Spaniards  had  the  advantage  of  them,  we 
question  whether  they  were  not,  immediately  previous  to  their 
subjugation,  in  a  higher  state  of  civilization  than  their  oppressors; 
■whether  they  had  not  better  practical  views  r  f  civil  liberty,  more 
iu.st  notions  of  private  right,  and  more  of  th.p.  amiable  propensities 
and  softer  virtues  of  life. 

Their  laws  were  superior  to  those  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans, 
and  their  magistrates  more  just.  They  punished  with  death  their 
judges  who  passed  a  sentence  that  svas  unjust  or  contrary  to  law, 
or  who  made  an  incorrect  statement  of  any  cause  to  the  king,  or  to 
a  superior  magistrate,  or  who  accepted  a  bribe.     Any  person  who 


TiiK  Noirni  A>rF:RicAN  Indians. 


;ii!» 


altorod  the  measures  cstiiljlislicd  in  tlicir  iiiiirkcts  nict  uitli  tlio 
samo  punishment.  Guardians  wlio  wasted  th(!  estates  of  their 
wards  were  punished  capitally,  Drunkenness  in  their  youth  was 
punished  with  death;  in  persons  more  advaneed  in  Hie,  it  was 
punished  witK  severity,  thou<,di  not  eapitally.  A  nobleman  who 
was  guilty  of  this  vice,  was  stripped  of  liis  dignity,  and  rendered 
infamous;  a  plebeian  was  shaved  and  had  his  house  dumolished. 
Their  maxim  was,  that  he  who  could  voluntarily  deprive  himself 
of  his  senses,  was  unworthy  of  a  habitation  among  men;  but  tiiis 
law  did  not  extend  to  the  aged,  who  were  allowed  to  drink  as  much 
as  they  pleascul  on  their  own  responsibility. 

They  had  a  good  police,  and  excellent  internal  regulations. 
Couriers  were  maintained,  by  whom  intelligence  was  regularly  and 
rapidly  transmitted.  Their  highways  were  repaired  annually;  in 
tlie  mountains  and  uninhabited  places  there  were  houses  erected 
for  the  accommodation  of  tnivellers ;  and  they  had  bridges  and 
l)oats  Ibr  crossing  rivers.  The  land  was  divided  by  appropriate 
boundaries,  and  owned  by  individuals,  and  the  right  of  property  in 
re'd,  as  well  as  personal  estate,  was  thoroughly  understood  and 
ri'spected. 

Such  is  the  character  given  to  the  Mexicans  by  those  who 
assumed  the  right  to  plunder  and  oppress  them,  under  the  plea 
tlKit  they  were  savages  and  heathens.  After  making  due  allow- 
ance for  the  exaggerations  incident  to  such  questionable  testimony, 
enoxigh  remains  to  show  that  this  singular  people  were  advanced 
far  beyond  mere  barbarism  ;  and  the  recent  discoveries  by  Mr. 
Stevens  and  others,  place  that  question  beyond  all  cavil.  The 
subject  is  curious  and  highly  interesting.  Few  are  aware  of  the 
degree  of  civilization  which  existed  among  the  Mexicans  and 
South  American  nations  previous  to  their  confjuest  by  the  Spa- 
niards— the  intelligence,  the  kindness,  the  hospitality  and  respect 
able  virtues  of  the  natives,  and  the  atrocious  character  of  the 
marauders  by  whom  they  were  despoiled  and  enslaved. 


^ 


320 


AN    ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


Olio  instance,  m  proof  of  these  assertions,  may  be  fonnd  in  tlie 
fascinating  work  of  a  distingnislied  American  writer,  so  affecting;, 
and  strongly  in  point,  that  I  cannot  forbear  alluding  to  it.  Vasco 
\iinez,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the  conquerors  of  New  Spain, 
had  been  hospitably  received  by  one  of  the  native  princes.  "With 
the  usual  perfidy  of  his  time  and  countrj',  he  made  captives  of  the 
Cacique,  his  wives  and  children,  and  many  of  his  people.  He  also 
discovered  their  store  of  provisions,  and  returned,  with  his  captives 
and  his  booty,  to  Darien.  When  the  unfortunate  Cacique  beheld 
his  family  in  chains,  and  in  the  hands  of  strangers,  his  heart  wa-^ 
wruns  with  despair:  "What  have  I  done  to  thee,"  said  he  to 
Vasco  \unez,  "that  thou  shouldest  treat  me  thus  cruelly?  None 
of  thv  people  ever  came  to  my  land,  that  were  not  fed  and  sheltered, 
and  treated  with  kindness.  When  thou  camest  to  my  dwelling, 
did  I  meet  thee  with  a  javelin  in  my  hand  ?  Did  I  not  set  meat 
and  drink  before  thee,  and  welcome  thee  as  a  brother?  Set  ine 
fr; f  therefore,  with  my  people  and  family,  and  \:e  will  remain  thy 
friends.  We  will  supply  thee  with  provisions,  and  reveal  to  thee 
the  riches  of  the  land.  Dost  thou  doubt  my  faith?  Beliold  my 
daughter,  I  give  her  to  thee  as  a  pledge  of  m}'  friendship.  Take 
her  for  thy  wife,  and  be  assured  of  the  fidelity  of  her  family  and 
people ! 

"^'asco  \unez  felt  the  power  of  these  words,  and  knew  the 
importance  of  forming  a  strong  alliau'^e  among  tlie  natives.  The 
captive  maid  also,  as  she  stood  trembling  and  dejected  before  him, 
found  ;5Teat  favor  in  his  eyes,  for  she  was  young  and  beautiful. 
Tie  granted,  therefore,  the  prayer  of  the  Cacique,  and  accepted 
his  daughter;  engaging,  moreover,  to  aid  the  father  against  his 
enemies,  on  condition  of  his  furnishing  provisions  to  the  colony. 

"Careta  (the  Indian  prince)  remauied  three  days  at  Darien, 
during  w.  Ai  time  he  was  treated  with  the  utmost  kindness. 
\'a.sco  \unez  took  him  on  board  his  ships  and  showed  him  every 
(ii'-t  o!  them.     He  displayed  befo-c  him,  also,  the  war-hors,;<,  with 


THE   NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


.•!2l 


their  armor  and  rich  cni);u-isoiis,  and  astonished  liim  wifli  the 
thunder  of  artillerj'.  Lest  he  should  be  too  much  daunted  hy 
these  warlike  spectacles,  he  caused  the  musicians  to  perform  an 
harmonious  concert  on  their  instruments,  at  which  the  Cacique 
was  lost  in  admiration.  In  us  having  impressed  him  with  a 
wonderful  idea  of  the  power  and  endowments  of  his  new  allies, 
he  loaded  him  with  presents  and  permitted  him  to  depart. 

"Careta  returned  joyfully  to  his  territories,  and  his  daughter 
remained  with  Vasco  Nunez,  n-ilUiujlij,  for  IIIS  SAKE,  giving  up 
her  family  and  her  native  home.  They  were  never  married,  hut 
she  considered  hcfso'f  as  his  wife,  as  she  really  was,  according  to 
the  usages  of  her  own  country;  and  he  treated  her  with  fondness, 
allowing  her  gradually  to  acquire  a  great  influence  over  him." — 
Irving. 

I  envy  not  the  man  who  can  read  this  affecting  passage  without 
mingled  emotions  of  admiration  and  pity.  Who,  in  this  case, 
di.splayed  the  vices  of  barbarians?  Was  it  the  daring  marauder, 
who  violated  the  rules  of  hospitality?  Was  it  the  generous  chief, 
who  opuiicd  his  heart  and  his  house  with  confiding  hospitality 
lo  the  military  stranger  —  who,  when  betrayed,  appealed  to  hi.s 
treacherous  guest  with  all  the  manly  simi-'licity  of  an  honest 
lieart,  mingled  with  the  deep  emotion  of  a  bereaved  parent  and 
an  insulted  sovereign — and  who,  willi  magnanimous  patriotism, 
gave  up  his  child,  a  young  and  beautiful  maiden,  to  purchase  the 
li  crty  of  his  people?  Or  was  it  the  Indi  ui  maid,  adorned  with 
graces  that  could  win  the  heart  of  that  ruthless  soldier,  "  willingly, 
lor  his  sake,  giving  up  her  family  and  native  home,"  dis(diarging 
with  devoted  fidelity  the  duty  of  the  most  sucred  relation  in  life, 
anil  achieving,  by  her  talents  and  feminine  attractions,  a  comj)leto 
coiuiucst  over  her  country's  conqueror  ?  Shame  on  the  abuse  of 
l.iiguage  that  would  call  such  a  people  savage,  or  their  oppressors 
Christians ! 

At  a  much  later  period,  and  when  the  Christian  world  was  far 

41 


wm^ 


322 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THL   IIISTOUY   OF 


more  culiylitoiuKl  than  in  the  days  of  Cortes,  the  Rritisli  coiti- 
moucod  their  coiiqncsts  in  India  ;  yot  \vc  do  not  find  the  superior 
lij^lit  tliey  jKissessed,  both  religious  and  politieal,  had  any  other 
ofFeet  than  to  make  tlicm  more  refilled  in  tlieir  cruehies.  'I'hev 
aeted  over  again,  in  the  East  Indies,  all  the  atroeities  \vhi(;h  had 
been  perpetrated  in  New  Spain,  with  this  only  dilTerenee,  t  at 
tliey  did  not  preterul  to  plead  the  apology  of  religious  fanaticism. 
The  Spaniards  attempted  to  impose  on  otiiers,  and  m:iy,  possi!)l\-. 
ill  souie  instances,  have  imposed  on  themselves  the  belief,  that 
they  starved  God  in  oppressing  the  lieathen;  for  their  eoncpiests 
were  made  in  an  ago  when  such  opinions  were  prevalent.  But  the 
"English  barltarians,"  as  Dr.  Johnson  call.s  them,  had  no  such 
notions;  for  some  of  their  best  patriots  and  soundest  divines  had 
lived  previous  to  the  concpiest  of  India,  and  the  intellectual  charac- 
ter of  the  nation  was  deeply  imbued  with  the  princi[)les  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty  before  that  period.  The  hne  of  money  and  of 
dominion  were  their  only  incentives ;  and  they  pillaged,  tortured, 
murdered,  and  enslaved  a  people  as  civilized  and  as  treutle  as  the 
Mexicans,  witliout  the  shadow  of  an  e.Kcuse.  Millions  of  wealth 
have  been  poured  into  England,  to  enrich  and  adorn  the  land, 
to  support  the  magnificence  of  the  court,  and  to  minister  to  the 
pleasures  of  a  jjroud  aristocracy,  which  were  wrung  from  an 
unolFending  people,  by  acts  of  violence  and  extortion  no  belter 
than  jiirncy.  The  disclosures  made  before  the  IJritish  Parliament 
at  the  trial  of  Warren  Hastings  justify  these;  assertions;  and  sul)se- 
quent  events  in  India,  China,  and  other  j)arts  of  the  East,  exhil)it 
the  same  grasping  and  ruthless  hijustice  on  the  part  of  that  uation. 

Need  we  pursue  the  navigato"s  of  these  and  other  nations  to  tin^ 
diflerent  (piarters  of  the  globe,  into  which  scientific  curiosity, 
mercantile  enterprise,  and  naval  skill,  have  penetrated  .'  Such  au 
investigation  would  but  adtl  \\^i\^  facts  in  support  of  the  positions 
we  have  taken. 

Wo   pause   here,  then,  to   incjuirc   how  it  has  hap;'ened,  that 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


323 


wherever  the  civilized  Eiiropenn  has  j)lnccd  his  foot  upon  heatlien 
soil,  he  seems  at  once  to  have  been  transformed  into  a  barbarian. 
All  the  refinements  of  civil'-'od  life  have  been  forgotten.  His 
benevolence^  his  sensibility,  his  high  sense  of  honor,  his  nice 
l)erception  of  justice,  his  guarded  deportment,  his  long  habits  of 
punctuality  and  integrity,  are  all  thrown  aside;  and  not  only  has 
he  been  less  honest  than  the  savage  in  his  private  dealings,  but  has 
far  outstripped  him  in  the  worst  propensities  of  human  nature — in 
avarice,  revenge,  rapine,  blood-thirstiness,  and  wanton  cruelty.  To 
the  caprice  of  the  savage,  and  that  prodigality  of  life  whicli  dis- 
tinguishes men  unaccustomed  to  the  restraints  of  law,  and  the  ties 
;;f  society,  he  has  added  the  ingenuity  of  urt,  and  the  insolence  of 
ppv.-or.  The  lust  of  empire,  and  the  lust  of  money,  have  given 
him  incentives  to  crime  which  do  not  stimulate  the  savage ;  anil 
his  intellectual  cultivation  has  furnished  him  with  weapons  of  war 
and  engines  of  oppression,  which  have  been  wielded  with  a  fearful 
energy  of  purpose  and  a  monstrous  depravity  of  motive. 

Nor  were  the  desperate  adventurers,  who  led  the  van  of  dis- 
covery and  conquest  in  heathen  lands,  alone  implicated  in  the 
guilt  of  these  transactions.  They  were  sanctioned  by  llie  throne 
and  the  church.  The  Pope  formally  delivered  over  tlic  licallien 
into  the  hands  of  the  secular  power ;  kings  abandoned  them  to  the 
niilitarv  leaders ;  and  the  nobles,  tlie  merchants,  the  wealthy  and 
repui  li  'i  of  all  ranks,  became  partners  in  those  nefarious  enter - 
pi.;.-: ,  -  "h'.irers  in  the  pillage,  and  accessories  in  the  murder  of 
jii  i. •:■■•' <.V/)  .1  itions.  We  are  struck  with  astonishment,  when  Ave 
see  the  ^  f 'pu:  of  countries  professing  the  Christian  faith,  having 
social  reguiatiop.s,  and  respecting  a  code  of  international  law  among 
thcmselver-,  thus  turned  into  ruthless  depredators,  and  trampling 
under  foot  every  niixim  of  ju.stice,  human  and  divine. 

In  searcliing  out  the  moving  causes  of  this  apparently  anomalous 
o|)eration  of  the  human  mind,  we  remark,  in  the  first  place,  that 
the  age  of  discovery  was  an  age  of  ignorance.     Few  of  the  "real 


■i^^KP^^T^ 


324 


.\N  ESSAY   ON   THE   HIS'lORY   OF 


fountuins  of  liglit  had  been  opened  to  pour  out  the  flood  of  know- 
ledge which  has  since  penetrated  into  every  qnrirler  of  the  globci 
and  to  disseminate  the  principles  of  conduct  which  now  regulate 
the  intercourse  of  men  and  of  nations.  In  Europe,  the  great  mass 
of  the  people — all  of  those  whose  united  opinions  make  up  what  is 
called  public  sentiment — were  alike  destitute  of  moral  culture;  tlie 
ruler  and  the  subject,  the  noble  and  the  plebeian,  the  martial  leader 
and  tbe  wretched  peasant,  were  equally  deficient  in  literature  and 
science.  All  knowh  i t  was  in  tlio  hands  of  the  priests,  and  was 
by  them  perverted  to  tiif  rding  of  their  own  selfish  purposes. 

Tlie  great  secret  of  their  ii>,  once  consisted  in  an  ingenious  con- 
cealment of  all  the  sources  of  knowledge.  The  Bible,  the  only 
elevated,  pure,  and  consistent  code  of  ethics  the  world  has  ever 
known,  Avas  a  sealed  book  to  tlie  jieople.  The  ancient  classics 
were  carefully  \\  ithheld  from  the  pidjlic  e\'e ;  and  the  few  sciences 
which  were  at  all  cultivated,  were  enveloped  in  the  darkness  of  the 
dead  languages.  No  S3'st{!m  coidd  have  been  more  ingenious  or 
more  successful,  than  thus  to  clothe  the  treasures  of  knowledge  in 
languages  diflicult  of  attainment,  and  accessible  oidy  to  the  high- 
born and  wealthy — for,  as  the  latter  seldom  undergo  the  labor  of 
unlocking  the  stores  of  learning,  and  still  less  fre([uently  teach  to 
others  what  they  htive  acquired,  such  a  sjstem  amounted  in 
practice  to  a  monopoly  of  learning  in  the  hands  of  the  pri(;stliood. 

Not  only  were  the  people  of  that  day  destitu1(3  of  education,  but 
the  intercourse  of  nations  with  each  other,  previous  to  the  discovery 
of  the  mariner's  compass,  was  extremel}'  limited;  and  the  wonder- 
l"ul  facilities  for  <>ainin"'  and  diirusinyr  intellitrence,  afforded  b\'  the 
art  of  navigation,  had  just  begun  to  operate  in  the  days  of  Columbus 
and  Cortes. 

'I'lie  little  knowledge  that  existed  was  perverted  and  misapplied. 
AVliere  there  was  little  freedom  of  thought,  and  no  general  spirit  of 
nuiuiry,  [)recedenls  were  indiscriminately  adojjled,  however  incon- 
sistent, and  examples  ijlindly  followed,  however  wicked  or  absurd 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


32.- 


The  scholar  foiimi  authority  for  every  crime  in  the  classics  of 
heathen  Greeks  and  Romans,  wlio  have  left  nothing  behind  tliem 
worthy  of  admiration,  except  a  few  splendid  specimens  of  useful 
luxury  and  worthless  refinement,  and  some  rare  fragments  of 
magnanimity  and  virtue ;  while  their  literature  abounds  in  incen- 
tives to  aml)ition,  rapine,  and  oppression.  The  few  who  read  the 
Scriptures  wrested  the  precepts  of  revelation  and  the  history  of  the 
primitive  nations  into  authority  for  their  own  high-handed  aggres- 
sions; and  because  distinctions  were  made  between  the  Jews  and 
till'  Heathen  by  whom  they  were  surrounded,  ignorantly  believed, 
or  perversely  maintained,  that  the  same  relation  continued  to  exist 
between  the  true  believer  and  the  heretic,  and  that  the  latter  "  were 
given  to  them  for  an  inheritance." 

The  era  now  under  contemplation  was  a  martial  age.  Ambition 
expended  all  its  energies  in  the  pursuit  of  military  glory;  the 
fervors  of  genius  were  all  conducted  into  this  channel;  and,  con- 
liiicd  in  every  other  direction,  burst  forth,  like  a  volcano,  in  the 
llame  and  violence  of  military  achievement.  Tlie  only  road  to 
fame  or  to  preferment  led  across  the  battle-field ;  the  hero  waded 
to  power  through  seas  of  blood,  or  strode  to  allluence  over  the 
carcasses  of  the  slain;  and  they  who  sat  in  high  places,  were 
accustomed  to  look  upon  carnage  as  a  necessary  agent,  or  an 
unavoidable  incident  to  greatness.  The  people  every  where  were 
a-customed  to  scenes  of  violence.  The  riglit  of  conqi^est  was 
universally  acknowledged,  and  success  was  the  criterion  of  merit. 
Private  rights,  whether  of  person  or  property,  were  little  under- 
stood, and  generally  disregarded;  and  national  justice,  in  any 
enlarged  sense,  was  neither  practised  nor  professed.  Certain  chiv- 
alrous courtesies  there  were,  practised  among  the  military  and  the 
high-l)orn,  and  gleams  of  magnanimity  occasionally  flashed  out 
amid  the  gloom  of  anarchy,  but  they  afforded  no  steady  light. 
They  were  the  grim  civilities  of  warriors,  or  tlie  formal  politeness 
of  the  great,  which  did  not  pervade  the  mass  of  the  people,  and 


wm9m 


32« 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


toiiil«il   not   to  refine    the    age,   nor  to  soften    iho   asperities  ol 
oppression. 

It  was  an  age  of  intolerance,  bigotry,  superstition,  and  eccle 
siastical  despotism ;  when  those  who  reguUited  the  minds  and 
consciences  of  men,  were  persons  of  perverted  taste,  intellect,  and 
morals;  men  who  lived  estranged  from  societ}-,  aliens  from  its 
business,  strangers  to  its  domestic  relations,  its  noblest  virtues, 
and  its  kindest  affections.  It  was,  in  short,  the  age  of  the  inquisi- 
tion and  the  rack,  when  opinioiis  were  regulated  by  hiw,  and 
enforced  by  the  stake  and  the  sword,  and  when  departures  from 
established  dogmas  were  punished  by  torture,  disfranchisement, 
and  death. 

Under  such  auspices  commenced  the  intercourse  between  civil- 
ized and  savage  men ;  and,  unfortunatel}',  the  pioneers  who  led  the 
waj"  in  the  discovery  and  cojjnization  of  new  countries,  were,  witli 
a  few  bright  exceptions,  the  worst  men  of  their  time — the  soldier, 
the  mariner,  the  desperate  seeker  after  gokl — men  inured  to  cruehy 
and  rapine,  and  from  whose  codes  of  religion,  morality,  and  law, 
imperfect  as  they  were,  the  poor  heatlen  was  entirely  excluded. 

We  shall  not  dwell  in  detail  on  the  facts  to  wliicli  we  have 
briefly  alluded.  It  would  req^jiro  volumes  tu  record  the  unjjro- 
voked  cruelties  perpetrated  b}^  civilized  upon  savage  men.  The 
lawless  invasion  of  Mexico  by  Cortes;  the  horrid  atrocities  of  the 
ruilian  Pizarro,  acted  in  Peru ;  the  long  series  of  robberies  and 
bloodshed  perpetrated  by  the  British  in  India ;  the  dreadful  scenes 
of  the  slave  trade;  the  track  of  carnage,  and  the  maledictions  of  t  lie 
heathen,  which  have  marked  the  discoveries  of  the  European  in 
every  quarter  of  the  globe,  are  but  loo  familiar  to  every  reader  of 
history.  It  is  obvious  that  the  first  aggression  was  almost  in- 
variably committed  l)y  the  wliites,  who  have  continued  to  be,  for 
tlie  most  i)art,  the  offending  party;  yet  history  does  not  afford  the 
slightest  evidence  that  any  ])ublic  disajiprobatioii  was  manifested, 
either  by  the  governments  or  the  people  of  those  countries,  whose 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   IND'IANS. 


827 


ndvcntiircrs  were  overrunning  tlie  uncivilized  piirts  of  tlic  world, 
in  search  of  plunder,  and  in  the  perpetration  of  every  species  of 
cnorniifv.  A  classic  hatred  of  ijarharians,  a  hoiv  zeal  auainst 
unhehevers,  animated  all  classes  of  society,  and  sanctioned  every 
ontrnsre  which  was  inllicted,  in  the  name  of  relii-ion  or  civilization, 
by  coniinissioneil  frcel)ooters,  upon  the  unoffending  inhabitants  of 
newly  discovered  regions. 

In  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  North  America,  the  conduct 
of  the  whites  was  fn-  less  hlameable  th;in  in  tiie  instances  to  wliich 
W{!  have  alluded;  still,  it  was  aggressive,  and  productive  of  the 
most  un]i;i])py  consequences.  We  propose  to  touch  on  some  of  the 
pronu'nent  jjoints  of  this  history,  and  to  present  a  few  instances 
iilustravc  of  its  spirit,  and  in  support  of  our  general  views. 

Captain  John  Smith  informs  us,  that  "tlie  most  famous,  re- 
nowned, and  ever  worthy  of  all  memorie,  for  her  courage,  learniu"-, 
judgment,  and  virtue.  Queen  Elizabeth,  granted  her  letters  jjatent 
to  Sir  Walter  llaleigli,  for  the  discovering  and  planting  new  lands 
and  coumries  not  actually  po.ssessed  by  any  Christians.  This 
patentee  got  to  be  his  assistants.  Sir  Kicliard  Grenville  the  valiant, 
Mr.  William  Sanderson,  a  great  friend  to  all  such  noble  and  worthy 
actions,  and  divers  oth(>r  gentlemen  and  niarchants,  who  with  all 
speede  ])ro\  ided  two  small  barkes,  well  furnished  with  necessaries, 
under  the  command  of  Captaine  Pliilip  Aniidas,  and  Captain  ]hiv- 
low.  The  27th  of  Aprill  they  set  sayle  from  the  Thames,  the  10th 
of  May  pissed  the  Canaries,  and  the  10th  of  June,  the  West  Indies,'' 
&LC.  "Tile  2d  of  July  they  fell  in  with  the  coast  of  I'lorida,  in 
in  shoulc  water,  where  they  felt  a  most  delicate  sweete  smell, 
though  they  saw  no  land,  which  ere  long  they  espied,"  &c. 

Here  we  find,  that  the  ])ower  delegated  by  the  crown  to  those 
lovers  of  worthy  and  noble  actions,  was  simply  for  tlie  discoveriii"- 
and  planting  of  new  lands,  not  actwMy  possessed  hj  other  Christians , 
imt  although  the  rights  of  o^/<«-  Christians,  who  had  no  rights,  were 
thus  c:irefully  reserved,  no  regard  seems  to  have  lieeii  jiaid  to  those 


v^^nn 


;j-js 


AN   I5SSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


of  tlin  iil)oriyiiiiil  possessors  of  the  countries  to  be  discovered. 
A\'itli  respect  to  them,  the  adventurers  were  at  full  liberty  to  act 
as  their  own  judgment  or  caprice  might  dictate. 

The  inhabitants  received  them  with  confidence.  In  the  History 
of  Smith  we  read,  """['ill  the  third  day  we  saw  not  any  of  the 
])eo[)]e,  then  in  a  little  boat  three  of  them  appeared ;  one  of  tliem 
went  on  shore,  to  whom  we  rowed,  and  he  attended  us  without  anv 
sign  of  feare  ;  after  he  had  spoken  much,  though  we  understood  not 
a  word,  of  ins  own  accorde  he  came  boldly  aboord  us ;  we  gave  him 
a  shirt,  -^  hat,  wine,  and  meate,  which  he  liked  well,  and  after  lie 
had  well  viewed  the  barkes  and  v.s,  he  went  away  in  his  own  boat, 
and  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  vs,  in  half  an  hour,  he  loaded  his 
boat  with  lish,  with  which  he  came  againe  to  the  point  of  land,  and 
there  divided  it  in  two  parts,  pointing  one  part  to  the  ship,  and  the 
other  to  tlie  pinace,  and  so  departed. 

"  The  next  daj'  came  diners  boats,  and  in  one  of  them  the  King's 
1)r()llier,  with  forty  or  fifty  men,  proper  people,  and  in  their  be- 
hiviour  very  ciuil."  "Though  we  came  to  him  well  armed,  he 
inade  signs  to  vs  to  sit  downc  without  any  sign  of  feare,  stroking 
his  head  and  brest,  and  also  ours,  to  expre.sse  his  loue.  After  he 
had  made  a  long  speech  to  vs,  we  presented  him  with  diners  toycs, 
which  he  kindly  accepted. 

"  A  day  or  two  after,  showing  them  what  we  had,  Grangraufomeo 
taking  most  liking  to  a  pewter  dish,  made  a  hole  in  it,  ami  hung  it 
about  his  neck  for  a  brestplate,  for  which  ho  gauc  vs  twenty  deero 
skins,  worth  twenty  crownes;  and  for  a  cop})er  kettle,  fiftic  skins, 
worth  fiftie  crownes.  Much  other  truckc  we  had,  and  after  two 
dityes  he  came  aboord,  and  did  eat  and  drinke  with  vs  very  merrily. 
Not  long  after  ho  brought  his  wife  and  children,"  &c. 

"After  that  these  women  had  been  here  with  vs,  there  came 
doune  from  all  parts  great  store  of  people,  with  leather,  corrall,  and 
and  diners  kinde  of  dyes,  but  when  Grangrantemeo  was  present, 
none  durst  trade  but  himself,  and  them  that  wore  red  copper  on 


MiiPHm 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS, 


829 


tlipir  heads  as  he  did.  Whcuovor  he  ciiinc  he  woidd  sij,rnific  by  so 
many  fires  he  came  with  so  many  boats,  that  we  migiit  knowo  his 
force.  Their  l)oats  hut  one  great  tree,  which  is  burnt  in  the  form 
of  a  trough  with  gins  and  fire,  till  it  be  as  they  would  haue  it.  For 
an  armour  he  would  haue  engaged  vs  a  baggc  of  pearle,  but  we 
refused,  as  not  regarding  it,  tliat  wee  miglit  tlie  better  learnc?  wliere 
It  grew.  lie  was  very  iust  of  his  promise,  for  oft  we  trusted  liim, 
and  woukl  come  within  his  day  to  keepo  his  word.  He  sent  vs 
commonly  every  day  a  brace  of  bucks,  conies,  hares,  and  fish, 
sometimes  mellons,  walnuts,  cucumbers,  peas,  and  diners  roots, 
'i'liis  author  sayetli  their  corne  growetli  tlu-ee  times  in  fine 
months;  in  May  they  sow,  in  luly  reape ;  in  Line  they  sov.-,  in 
August  reape." 

It  is  difficult  to  se])arate  the  truth  from  the  ficlion  in  these  earlv 
histories.  There  seems  lo  be  an  inherent  propensity  for  exa'rrrera- 
tion  in  English  travellers,  which  has  pervaded  their  works,  and 
ciist  a  shade  upon  their  character  from  the  earliest  time  to  the 
present.  We  know  tliat  our  own  corn  does  not  grow  "  three  times 
in  five  months,  and  tliat  it  cannot  be  planted  in  May  and  reaped  in 
July  in  any  part  of  our  country ;  tlie  story  of  tlie  "  bagge  of  pearle" 
is  very  questionable ;  nor  do  we  ])ut  iiiucli  faitii  in  the  "  corrall"  or 
the  "red  copper,"  which  the  natives  are  said  to  have  possessed. 
These  were  fiourishes  of  the  imagination,  thrown  in  by  the  writers, 
for  purposes  best  known  to  themselves.  But  we  may  believe  the 
evidence  of  the  voyagers,  as  to  the  hosjiitality  with  which  they 
were  received  by  the  natives,  because  in  these  statements  they  all 
agree,  and  we  have  ample  reason  to  believe  that  such  was  usually 
the  deportment  of  the  Aborigines  towards  the  Europeans  who  first 
visited  our  shores.  The  historian  of  this  voyage  sums  up  the 
whole  in  the  expression,  "  a  more  kind  loving  people  cannot  be," 
and  adds,  "this  discovery  was  so  welcome  into  England,  that  it 
pleased  her  majestic  to  call  this  country  of  Wingandacoa,  Vhginia, 


^^PIF— ^iW5 


3.'!0 


AN   ESSAY  ON   TIIK   HISTORY  OF 


bv  which  name  you  arc  now  to  understand  how  it  was  planted, 
dissohiod,  rcuned,  and  onlarijod." 

In  1695  Sir  Richard  Grcnvillo  departed  from  Plymouth,  with 
seven  sail  for  Virginia.  On  his  arrival,  wc  are  told,  "tlie  Indians 
stole  a  silver  cup,  wherefore  wo  burned  their  town  and  spoiled 
tluiir  corn,  and  so  returned  to  our  fleet."  Here  wo  see  how 
hostilities  between  the  whites  and  Indians  commenced.  All  the 
hospitality  of  those  wIjo  were  lauded  as  "a  kind  loving  people," 
was  effaced  by  a  single  depredation,  committed,  most  probably,  by 
a  hiwless  individual,  whose  act  would  have  been  disavowed  l)y  the 
1ril)e;  and.  in  revenge  for  the  slciiliiig  of  a  cu|),  a  town  was  burned, 
and  the  corn-fields  of  uu  nnofiending  conuniuiity  destroyed.  Dr. 
Williamson,  tlie  historian  of  North  Carolina,  remarks,  "the  pas- 
sionate and  rash  conduct  of  Sir  Richard  Grenville  cost  the  nation 
many  a  life.  The  fair  beginning  of  a  hopefid  colony  was  obscured, 
it  was  nearly  defeated,  by  resenting  the  lo.s.s  of  a  silver  cup." 

Another  voyager,  Jolui  Urierton,  who  accompanied  Captain  Ges- 
nall,  in  1000,  to  Virginia,  speaks  of  the  "many  signs  of  loue  and 
friendship,"  displayed  by  the  Indians,  "that  did  helpe  us  to  dig 
and  carry  saxafras,  and  doe  any  thing  they  could."  "  Some  of  the 
baser  sort  would  stealo ;  1)ut  the  better  sort,"  he  continues,  "  wc 
found  very  civill  and  i>ist."  lie  considers  tlie  women  as  fat  and 
well  favored  ;  and  concludes,  "  the  wholesomeness  and  temjjcraturc 
of  this  climate  doth  not  onely  argue  the  jieojjle  to  be  answerable  to 
this  description,  but  also  of  a  perfect  constitution  of  body,  active, 
strong,  healthful,  and  very  witty,  as  fhe  sundry  toyes  by  them  so 
cunningly  wrought,  may  well  testifie." 

Captain  Smitli,  in  a  snl)ser|uent  visit  to  Virginia,  found  the 
people  "most  civill  to  gine  entertainment."  Wc  declares  that 
"such  great  and  well  proportioned  men  arc  seldome  scene,  for 
iney  seemed  like  giants  to  the  Englisii,  yea,  and  to  the  neighbours, 
yet  seemed  of  an  honest  and  simple  di.sposit ion  ;  with  much  adoe 
we  restrained  them  from  adoring   ns  as  gods."     In  another  place 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


881 


ho  says,  "Tlicy  are  vory  stroller,  of  an  able  bmly,  and  full  of  a^riiilie, 
al)le  to  endure  to  lie  in  the  woods,  vnder  a  tree,  by  a  fire,  in  the 
worst  of  winter,  or  in  the  weeds  and  grasse,  in  atnbuscadc,  in  the 
sonirner.  They  arc  inconstant  in  every  thing  but  what  feare  con- 
strainelh  them  to  keepe.  Craftic,  tiinourous,  (|uicke  of  apprehension, 
and  very  ingenious.  Some  are  of  a  disposition  fearoful,  some  bold, 
most  cautelous  and  savage.  Although  the  country  people  be  very 
l)arbarous,  yet  have  they  among  them  such  government,  as  that 
their  magistrates  for  good  commanding,  and  tluiir  people  for  due 
subjection  and  obeying,  excell  many  ])laces  that  would  be  accounted 
very  chill"— Smith's  Hist.,  vol.  i.  p.  112. 

Another  early  writer  on  the  .settlement  of  Virginia,  William 
Tinions,  "doctour  of  divinitie,"  remarks,  "it  might  well  be  thought, 
a  countrie  so  faire  (as  Virginia  is)  and  a  people  .so  tractable,  would 
long  ere  this  have  been  quietly  po.ssessed,  to  tlie  satisfaction  of  the 
adventurers,  and  the  eternising  of  the  memory  of  tho.se  that  effected 
it."  We  need  not  multiply  these  proofs.  History  abounds  in  facts 
to  prove  the  positions  we  have  taken,  and  to  convict  the  white  man 
of  being  almost  hivariably  the  aggressor  in  that  unnatural  war 
which  has  now  been  raging  for  centuries  between  the  civilized  and 
savage  races. 

Several  fruitless  attempts  were  made  to  plant  a  colony  m 
Virginia  before  that  enterprise  succeeded.  "  The  emigrants, 
notwithstanding  tlie  orders  they  had  received,  had  never  been 
solicitous  to  cultivate  the  good-will  of  the  natives,  and  had  neither 
asked  permission  when  theij  occupied  their  country,  nor  given  a  price 
for  their  valuable  property,  wliich  was  violently  taken  away.  The 
miseries  of  famine  were  soon  superadded  to  the  horrors  of  massacre." 
(See  Chalmer's  Political  Annals,  under  the  head  Virginia.)  Under 
all  the  disasters  suffered  by  that  colony,  and  with  repeated  examples 
and  admonitions  to  warn  them,  they  could  never  bring  themselves 
to  entertain  sufficient  respect  for  the  Indians  to  treat  them  with 
civility,  or  negotiate  with  them  in  good  faith.     Tlieir  great  error 


mmmm 


;i;!2 


AN  i:s.sA,Y  ON  riMO  insrouY  or 


wiis,  Unit  tlu'v  <liil  not  consider  llifiiisflvcs,  in  their  intercniirso 
witli  .siiviiifes,  1)01111(1  by  liie  siiiiie  moral  oldij^iilioiis  wliicli  would 
have  iroveriied  tlie'r  dealiii^fs  with  eivili/ed  men.  They  were 
loose  and  cureless  in  their  deportment  ;  tiiey  tlirew  oil"  the  ordinary 
restraints  of  social  life;  the  decent  and  sober  virtues  were  laid 
aside;  and  while  us  individuals  Ihey  forfeited  coiiiideiice  iiy  their 
irrennlarities,  tliey  lost  it  us  a  hody  politic,  hy  weiik  councils  and 
had  faith.  It  is  to  be  recollected  that  tlu;  colonists  were  intruders  in 
a  straiio(>  land;  they  liad  to  estaltlisli  a  character.  'J'heir  very 
coming  was  siisjiicions.  'I'lierc  was  no  reason  why  tlie  natives 
should  think  them  hclter  tliaii  they  .seemed,  hut  many  why  they 
mi'^ht  sus])e(;t  them  to  he  worse.  'J'he  Indians,  having'  fvw  virtues 
in  tiieir  simple  code,  |)ractise  those  wliicli  tliey  do  profess  with 
<,n'eat  imnctnality ;  and  they  could  not  hut  liL,ditly  esteem  those 
who  made  j^n'eat  professions  of  superior  virtue,  wliiK;  tliey  openly 
indnl^'ed  in  every  vice,  and  set  all  moral  obligutions  ut  defiance. 

The  romuntie  story  of  Pocahontas  forms  a  beautiful  episode  in 
the  history  of  this  period.  Thougii  liorn  and  reared  in  savage  life, 
she  was  a  creatuiH!  of  excpiisite  loveliness  and  refinement.  The 
irracefuluess  of  her  person,  the  >reiitleiiess  of  her  nature  —  her 
heiievolence,  her  courage,  her  nojjlo  self  devotion  in  the  discharge 
of  duty,  elevate  this  lovely  woman  to  an  ccpiality  with  the  most 
illustrious  and  most  attractive  of  her  sex;  and  yet  those  winning 
graces  and  noble  (pialities  were  not  the  most  remarkable  features 
of  her  character,  wliicli  was  even  more  di.stiiiguished  by  the  won- 
derful tiict,  and  the  delicate  sense  of  jiropriiMy,  which  marked  all 
the  scenes  of  her  brief,  but  eventful,  history.  The  mingled  tender- 
ness and  heroism  of  her  successful  intercession  for  the  advent urous 
Smith,  presents  a  scene  which  for  dramatic  effect  nnd  moral 
beauty,  is  not  excelled  either  in  the  records  of  history  or  the  most 
splendid  creations  of  inventive  genius.  Hail  she  been  a  Chri.stian, 
li  III  the  generous  sjiark  of  love,  which  is  inbred  in  the  heart  ol 
woman,  l>een  cherished  by  the  refinements  of  education,  or  fanned 


TlIK   NOHTII   A.MlilUCAN    INDIANS. 


I)y  tlio  slroii!?  impulse  of  (Icvoicd  piety,  it  could  not  Imvo  hiinitd 
u  itii  ii  purer  or  ;i  I)ri^dl1er  Ihunc.  Tliu  motive  of  that  iiolde  nctien 
was  heiievoleuec!— the  purest  auil  most  lofty  priuciplo  of  liumaii 
aetion.  It  was  not  tlie  (•a|)riee  of  a  tlioughtlcss  girl,  it  was  not  a 
momentary  j)assion  for  tlic  eondenuied  stranger,  ploiuling  at  a 
suseeptil)lo  heart,  i()r  her  all'ect ions  were  reserved  for  another;  and 
tlie  purity  as  well  as  tlie  dii^nity  of  her  after  life,  showed  that  they 
were  truly  and  cautiously  bestowed.  By  her  intervention,  her 
courage,  and  her  talent,  the  colony  of  Virginia  was  several  times 
savinl  from  famine  and  exlermination ;  and  when  ])erfidiously  taken 
prisoner  by  those  who  owed  every  tiling  to  her  nol)le  devotion  to 
their  cause,  siu;  displayed,  in  lier  ciplivity,  a  patience,  u  sweetness 
of  disposition,  and  a  propriety  of  conduct  that  won  universal  ad- 
niiration.  As  the  wife  of  Rolfe,  she  was  equally  exemplar}'  ;  mid 
wlwMi,  at  till!  Uritish  CoiH't,  she  stood  in  tiie  ])resence  of  nniiltv, 
sniTOinided  b}'  the  iieauty  and  refinement  of  the  proudest  aris- 
tocracy in  the  world,  she  was  still  a  lovely  and  adnured  woman, 
unsurpassed  in  the  appro[)riate  graces  of  her  sex.  Yet  this  woman 
was  a  .savage  !  A  daughter  of  a  race  doomed  to  eternal  barbarism 
by  the  decree  of  a  philosophy  which  pronounces  the  soil  of  their 
minds  too  sterile  to  germinate  the  seeds  of  civilization  ! 

An  authentic  portrait  of  this  lovely  and  excellent  woman,  co[iied 
from  a  picture  in  the  possession  of  her  descendants  in  /irginia, 
will  be  found  in  tliis  volume,  llcr  original  name  was  Mu;;;;'!-::i. 
which  signifies,  literall}',  the  Snoir-feather,  or  the  snow-llake,  which 
was  also  the  name  of  her  mother ;  and  both  were  represented  as 
being  remarkably  graceful  and  swift  of  loot.  She  was  afterwards 
called  Pocahontas,  a  rivulet  between  tivu  liHU,  a  name  su])poscd  by 
some  to  be  proj)hetic,  as  she  was  a  bond  of  peace  and  union 
between  two  nations. 

II(;r  intercession  for  Smith  is  thus  described  by  the  ancient  his- 
torians:  "The  captive,  lx)und  hand  and  foot,  was  laid  upon  the 
stones,    and    Powhatan,    to    whom    the    honor    was    respectfully 


*^i^^ 


.3.i^ 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE  lliSTOllY  OF 


as.sii,nictl,  was  about  to  j)Ut  liiiii  to  doiilli.  Soiriotliiiitf  like  pity 
beaiiifd  from  the  vyvs  of  the  siiva^fe  erowd,  l)ut  none  dared  to 
s|ieak.  The  fatal  eluh  uas  u^jlifted ;  the  eaptive  wa.s  witlioiit  a 
friend  to  succor  him,  alone  among  hostile  savages.  The  breasts  of 
the  nuillitude  already  anticipated  the  dreadfid  crash  lliat  would 
de]  rive  him  of  life,  when  the  young  and  beautiful  I'oeahontas,  the 
Ki  iu"s  darling  daughter,  with  a  shilck  of  terror  and  agony,  threw 
herself  on  the  l.'od}  of  the  victim !  Her  dark  hair  unbound,  her 
eves  stroammg  with  tears,  and  her  whole  manner  besjioke  the 
agony  of  her  bosom.  She  ca.st  the  most  beseeching  looks  at  her 
angry  and  astonished  father,  imploring  liis  pity,  and  the  life  of  the 
captive,  with  all  the  eloquence  of  mute  but  impassioned  sorrow." — 
Smith. 

"The  remaaider  of  this  scene,"  says  Burk,  "is  highly  honorable 
to  Powhatan,  and  remains  a  la.sting  monument  that,  thougii  dif- 
ferent principles  of  action,  and  the  inlluence  of  custom,  had  given 
to  the  ma  luers  of  this  people  an  appearance  neitliei  amiable  nor 
virtuous  in  general,  yet  they  still  retained  the  ncMest  pro])erty  of 
the  human  character — the  touch  of  sympathy,  and  the  feelings  of 
huinanity.  The  club  of  the  Emperor  was  still  uplift<'d  ;  but  gentle 
feelings  had  overcome  him,  and  liis  eye  was  every  moment  losing 
its  fierceness,  lie  looked  round  to  find  an  excuse  for  his  weakness, 
and  saw  pity  in  every  face.  The  generoijs  savage  no  longer  hesi- 
tated. Tlie  compassion  of  the  rude  state  is  neither  ostentiitious  nor 
dilatory,  nor  does  .  ^mlt  its  object  by  the  exaction  of  impcssibili- 
ties.  Powhatan  lifted  his  grateful  and  delighted  daughter  from 
the  earth,  but  lately  ready  to  receive  the  blood  of  the  victim,  and 
conunanded  the  stranger  captive  to  rise." 

Pocahontas  was  born  about  the  year  1591,  and  was  tiierefore 
alwut  twelve  or  th'rteen  years  old  when  she  saved  the  life  of  Smith, 
in  1007.  She  attcrwards,  on  .several  occasions,  rendered  essential 
services  to  the  I'lnglish  colonists.  From  the  year  Hitl'.l  to  Kill, 
about  two  years,  it  is  said  that  she  was  never  seen  at  Jamestown, 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


335 


and  it  is  snppasfd  tluit  her  I'atlior,  jciilous  of  hor  kindness  towards 
tlie  wliites,  had  taken  moans  to  interrupt  the  intercourse.  "  A1)out 
tliis  time,"  says  Stitii,  "or  jjcrliaps  earlier,  tlie  Princess  was  not 
seen  for  some  time.  Rumor  said  she  was  banished  to  her  father's 
remote  possessirrns." 

It  wa-s  probably  durin<f  this  al)seuce  from  home  that  she  was 
perfidiously  captured  by  Captain  Arjrall  who,  being  on  a  trading 
expedition  up  the  Potomac,  discovered  that  Pocaliontas  was  on  a 
visit  to  that  neifrhborhood.  "  He  immediately  conceived  the  pro- 
ject," says  Burk,  "of  getting  her  into  his  power,  concluding  that 
the  posse.ssion  of  so  valual)le  a  hostage  wovdd  operate  as  a  check 
on  the  hostile  dis[)ositions  of  her  father,  the  Km])cror,  and  might 
be  made  the  means  of  recouc-iliation."  Having  decoyed  her  on 
Doard  of  his  vessel,  he  seized  and  currio'l  her  to  Jamestown.  Here 
she  became  acquainted  with  .Mr.  Joiin  Roife,  a  uf-ntleman  of  wreat 
respectal)ility,  who,  soon  afterwards,  led  her  to  the  altar.  She  was 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  baptized,  about  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage. The  name  given  her  in  l)aj)lism  was  Rebecca.  Shortly 
after  her  marriage,  and  when  unik'r  twenty  years  o*'  age,  she 
accompanied  her  liusband  to  Hngland,  where  she  was  well  received 
and  greatly  admired.  All  accounts  unite  in  ascrilting  to  her  the 
gentler  and  more  attractive  virtues  of  her  sex;  she  wax  graceful, 
modest,  and  retiring;  yet  had  sutncient  strenirtli  of  cliaracter  to 
sustain  herself  weil  in  tlii'  station  in  whicli  slie  was  placed.  Slu; 
died  at  Gravesend,  wiiitlier  she  went  to  (MubarU  tu  her  native  land, 
lu  KIK),  al'ter  residing  in  I'highuid  two  years.  She  left  one  son,  of 
whom  the  lustoriau  Stitli  says,  "at  the  death  of  IVidiontas,  Sir 
Jicwis  Steukley,  of  IMynioutli,  took  tlie  child  ;  but  he  soon  ill'  iiii(. 
disrepute,  in  conse(|uenci!  of  his  t'-eacheroiisly  lietraving  Sir  W  .ilicr 
Raleiuh  to  execution.  'I'jie  iioy,  'riionias  IJollr,  wiis  sei,',  to  his 
uncle,  Henry  Kolte,  who  e(liic;ite(i  him.  He  al'terw.inis  returned 
to   Virginia,  where    he    became   a   man  of  great   eminence;    mui 


-**  i  ^ 


336 


AN  ESSAY   ON    PIII':   IIISIORY   OF 


niarniii'r,  loft  an  only  claiighlcr,  frtJiii  wIkhii  arc  descended  many 
of  lliP  first  families  in  the  State." 

The  foiinder;;  of  New  En<rland  were  a  pious  race,  who  brought 
with  them  a  political  creed  far  more  enlightened,  and  a  much 
purer  system  of  moral  action,  than  an}'  portion  of  Europe  had  then 
learned  to  tolerati^  They  were  disposed  to  act  conscientiously  in 
their  public  as  well  as  in  their  private  concerns;  and  their  relations 
wilh  the  Indians  were  commenced  in  amity  and  good  faith.  Their 
great  fault  was  ihr-ir  religious  intolerance.  Theirs  was  an  intoler- 
.int  age,  and  they  were  a  bigoted  race ;  and  it  is  not  surprising  that 
a  people  who  jiersccuted  each  other  on  accoinit  of  sectarian  dilfer- 
ences  of  opinion,  should  have  little  charity  for  unbelievers.  They 
who  l)urn('d  old  women  for  indulging  in  the  innocent  pastime  of 
riding  on  broomsticks,  fined  Quakers  for  wearing  broad  brimmed 
hats,  and  enacted  all  the  other  e.vtravagances  of  the  blue  laws,  may 
well  have  fancied  themselvt-s  privileged  to  oppress  the  uncivilized 
Indian.  'I"iu'\'  could  not  brook  the  idea  of  as.sociatiiig  with  liea 
thens  as  with  e(pials.  'I'liey  looked  upon  them  with  scorn,  and 
negotiated  with  them  as  with  interiors.  However  a  sense  of  duty 
miglit  restrain  them  from  open  insult  or  injury,  they  could  not 
conceal  their  abhorrence  *"  i  the  persons  and  principles  of  their  new 
allies.  That  a  free,  uutaiued  race,  accustomed  to  no  superiors, 
sho>il(l  long  remain  in  amicable  intercoiu'se  witli  a  precise  sectarian 
peo|ile,  who  held  them  in  utter  aversion,  was  not  to  be  expected  ; 
anil,  accordingl\',  we  find  that  the  hollow  frien(islii[t  of  these  parties 
was  soon  interru])tiMl.  Wars  ensued,  and  no  lasting  peace  was  ever 
restored  vnitil  the  Indian  tribes  w(>re  extinguished  or  driven  from 
tlie  country. 

AVe  consider  this  the  fairest  instance  that  could  be  quoted  in 
proof  of  the  universal  |)revalenc.'  of  tiiat  public  sentiment  in 
nlalKMi  to  savages,  to  wiiicii  we  have  alluded.  "The  setthMuent 
of  ^>ew  England,"  says  one  of  the  most  respectable  of  their  his- 
iorians,  "purely  for  the  purpose  of  religion,  ami  the  propagation  of 


THE  NO  II  in   AMKRICAN"    INDIANS. 


337 


(Mvil  and  K'li^•i()lls  lilimMy,  is  mi  event  wliieli  lins  no  parallel  in  the 
history  of  iiiodeni  aujes.  The  j)iety,  sell-iieiiial,  patience,  perse- 
verance, and  magnanimity  of  the  first  settlers,  are  without  a  rival, 
i'iie  happy  and  extensive  eonscHpieiices  of  the  settlements  which 
Ihey  made,  and  the  sentiments  whicli  they  were  careful  to  propa- 
tr  ite  to  their  posterity,  to  the  church,  and  to  the  world,  admit  of  no 
descrii)tiou."  If  there  is  any  truth  in  this  description — and  we  dd 
not  dispute  it,  extravagant  as  it  sccmus — a  strange  discrepancy  is 
I'vinced  in  the  practice  and  professions  of  a  people  of  such  preten- 
sions. The  perversion  of  pul)lic  opinion,  wliicli  could  induce  such 
men,  themselves  the  sul)jects  of  op[iression  and  tlie  propagators  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  to  treat  the  savages  as  Ijrutes,  must  liave 
l)e(Mi  wide  spread  and  deeply  seated ;  but  such  was  certaiidy  their 
conduct. 

When  we  remark  the  weakness  of  the  first  settlements  in  New 
I'-ngland,  and  observe  that  their  infant  villages  were,  on  several 
oi'casions,  almost  depopidated  by  famine  and  sickness,  it  is  olnious 
that  the  Indians  must  have  bec-i  peaceably  disposed  towards  them, 
as  there  were  several  periods  at  which  they  could,  with  ease,  have 
cxti^rminated  all  the  coloni.sts.  We  hiive  on  this  sui)j('  isitive 
evid(Mice.  In  Baylie's  Memoir  of  IMymouth,  we  are  to|.  d  the 
Mohawks,  the  most  j)owerfid  nation  of  Xew  England,  "  wjh  iu\t  r 
known  to  molest  the  lOnglish."  '-'riiey  wen;  never  known  to 
injure  an  I']nglishman  either  in  person  or  property.  The  English 
fre(inently  met  them  in  the  woods  when  they  wi're  defenceles.s,  and 
the  Indians  armed,  but  never  received  from  them  the  slightest 
insult."  "  Unbounded  hospitality  to  strangers"  is  one  of  the  rpiali- 
ties  ascri'.)ed  by  this  historian  to  the  Indians  generally,  of  that 
region,  and  liis  work  abounds  in  anecdotes  of  their  kindness  to  the 
first  settlers. 

Trumbull,  the  historian  of  Connecticut,  ulio  has  collected  all  ilie 
oldest  autiiorilies  witli  great  care,  remarks  that,  "the  English  lived 
in  tolerable  peace  with  all   the   Fudians  in  ('omu'iiiciit  and  Xew 


^^p^^" 


1533 


AN   ESSAY   ON   TIIF:   HISTORY   OF 


Eiif^liiiid,  cxoi'pt  till"  Pc(iiiots,  for  about  forty  years."  "  Tiic 
Inrliaiis,  at  their  first  settlement,  performed  mtiny  acts  of  kindness 
towards  tliein.  Tlii'V  instructed  them  in  tlic  manner  of  planting 
and  dressing  Indian  eorn.  They  carrieil  tliem  upon  their  backs 
through  tlio  rivers  and  waters;  and,  as  occasion  required,  served 
tliem  instead  of  boats  and  bridges.  They  gave  them  much  useful 
information  respecting  the  country;  and  when  the  English,  or 
their  chil(h-en,  were  lost  in  the  woods,  and  were  in  danger  ol 
p(;rishing  with  cold  or  hunger,  they  conducted  them  to  their  wig- 
wams, led  them,  and  restored  them  to  their  families  rmd  parents. 
By  sellinu  them  corn  when  |)inclied  with  famine,  they  relieved 
their  distresses,  and  ])revented  them  from  perishing  in  a  strange 
land  and  uncultivated  w  ilderness." — X'ol.  i.  p.  57. 

How  did  the  I'uritans  repay  this  kindness,  or  what  had  they 
done  to  deserves  it  ?  They  settled  in  the  country  without  the  per- 
mission of  the  iidiabitants,  and  eviii'  eo,  bv  all  their  movements,  a 
determination  to  extend  their  dominion  oven*  it.  One  of  tlicir 
earliest  acts  was  of  a  character  to  create  disgust  and  awaken  jea- 
jdusv.  ^^'illianl  Holmes,  of  IMymouth,  carried  a  colony  into 
Connecticut.  an<l  settled  at  Wind.sor,  where  he  built  the  first  house 
that  ever  wa.s  erected  in  that  State.  A  niunber  of  Sachems,  "who 
w(>re  the  original  owners  of  the  soil,  had  been  driven  from  this  j)art 
of  the  comitry  Iw  tlie  I'eipiots,  and  were  now  carritnl  home  on 
board  Holmes"  \rssel.  Of  tlioii  the  ]'l\ mouth  peo|)le  purrhaml 
ilic  l<tnil  on  wiiirii  they  ernted  tlitir  bouse."  Intruders  tlieiii- 
selvcs,  in  a  stranue  counlrw  llic\  i  amc  accompanied  b\  persons 
towards  whom  tlie  inbaliihnits  wt n  lioslih  .  undertook  to  decide 
who  wen^  the  rightl'ul  owners  of  the  soil,  and  |)urchased  from  the 
\y.w\y  wiiicii  was  not  in  pos.scssion.  And  what  was  the  conse- 
i|nence.'  "■  Tiic  In(Haiis  were  oHiiKled  at  their  bringing  home  the 
original  proprielors  and  Inrds  of  the  conntrv,  and  the  Dutch" — who 
liail  sclticd  lliere  before  them— •that  tliev  had  settled  iheri'.  and 
were  about   to  rival  them  in  trade,  and  in  tiie   [KPssession  of  tho.M' 


THK  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


[U.) 


excclloiit  lands  upon  the  river;   ilicy  were  oblijrnl,  tlirrcrorc.   lo 
coinbal  botli,  and  lo  keep  a  constant  watch  upon  thcni." 

Not\vithstandin<r  the  unhappy  impression  wiiich  some  of  tlie 
early  acts  of  the  Puritans  were  cahMdatcil  to  produce  upon  the 
minds  of  the  Indians,  tlie  hitter  continued  to  be  their  friends.  In 
the  winter  of  10:35,  the  settlements  on  Connecticut  Rivtr  were 
alllicted  by  famine.  Some  of  the  settlers,  driven  by  hunger, 
attempted  to  find  their  way,  in  this  severe  season,  through  the 
wilderness  from  Connecticut  to  Massachusetts.  Of  thirteen,  in 
one  company,  who  made  this  attempt,  one,  in  pa.ssing  a  river,  fell 
through  the  ice,  and  was  drowned.  The  other  twelve  were  ten 
days  on  their  journey,  and  would  all  have  perished  had  it  not  been 
for  the  assistance  of  the  Indians."  "  The  people  who  kept  their 
stations  on  the  river,  suflercd  in  an  e.vtreme  degree.  After  all  the 
help  they  were  able  to  obtain  by  hunting,  and  from  the  Indians, 
they  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  acorns,  malt,  and  grain."  "  Num- 
bers of  cattle,  which  could  not  be  got  over  the  river  before  winter, 
lived  through  without  any  thing  but  what  they  found  in  the  woods 
and  meadows.  They  wintered  as  well,  or  better,  than  those  that 
were  brought  over?'— Whithrop\i  Journal,  p.  88. 

"It  is  diflicult  to  describe,  or  even  conceive,  the  apprehensions 
and  distresses  of  a  people  in  the  circumstances  of  our  venerable 
ancestors,  during  this  doleful  winter.  All  the  horrors  of  a  dreary 
wilderness  spread  themselves  around  them.  They  were  encom- 
pas.sed  with  numerous  fierce  and  cruel  tribes  of  wild  and  savage 
men,  who  could  have  swallowed  up  parents  and  children  at 
pleasure,  in  their  feeble  and  distressed  condition.  They  had 
neither  bread  for  themselves  nor  children;  neither  habitations  nor 
clothing  convenient  for  them.  Whatever  emergency  miglit  hap- 
pen, they  were  cut  olf,  both  by  land  and  water,  from  any  succor  or 
retreat.  What  self-tlenial,  firmness,  and  magnanimity,  are  necessai  v 
for  such  enterprises !     How  distressful,  in  the  commencement,  was 


310 


A\   ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


the  iK'^iiiiiiiii,^  of  these  now  fair  uiid  opulent  towns  on  Connecticut 
Kivcr!' — Tni/ubn/i,  vol.  i.  p.  (i'.i. 

Yet  those  "  wild  and  .savage  men,  who  could  have  swallowed  uj) 
])ari'nls  and  children,"  did  not  avail  themselves  of  this  tenii)lin<r 
opportunity  to  rid  their  country  of  the  intruding  whites.  On  the 
contrary,  they  proved  their  hest  friends — aided  tho.se  who  fled, 
sustained  those  who  remained,  and  sutrcred  the  cattle  of  tin; 
strangers  to  roam  unmolested  through  the  woods,  while  they 
themselves  were  procuring  a  precarious  subsistence  by  the  chase. 
If  ever  kindness,  honesty,  and  Ibrbearance,  were  practised  witii 
scrupulous  liileiity,  in  the  face  of  strong  temptation  inciting  to  an 
o|)[)i)sitj  course  of  conduct,  the.se  virtues  were  displayed  by  the 
Indians  on  tliis  occasion. 

This  huinane  deportment  on  the  ])art  of  the  Aborigines,  seems  to 
have  been  considered  b}'  the  Puritans  as  mere  matter  of  course, 
and  as  not  imposing  upon  them  any  special  obligation  of  gratitude;; 
for  no  sooner  ditl  a  state  of  uar  occur,  than  all  sense  of  indebted 
ness  to  the  Indians  a|)|)ears  to  liave  Ihhmi  obliterated,  and  the  wliitcs 
vicil  with  tlu'ir  enemies  in  the  perpetration  of  wanton  cruelty. 
\V  ithin  two  years  after  the  famine  alluded  to,  we  are  informed  by 
Tnunbull,  tliat  a  party  \Mider  ('aptain  Stoughton,  "surrounded  a 
larire  bodv  of  Pe(|uols  in  a  swamp.  They  took  eighty  ca[)lives. 
'I'hirtv  were  men,  the  rest  were  women  and  childien.  Tlie  men, 
excc|)l  iwo  Sachems,  /rcrc  Icilhd,  \n\\  the  women  and  children  were 
saved.  The  Sai'hcms  promised  to  conduct  llie  JOnglish  to  Sassa- 
cns.  and  Ibr  llitil  [)iiriti)S(;  were  spared  /ry/-  the  prrsr/il."  The  reader 
wdl,  doubtless,  feel  some  curiosity  to  know  wliat  was  done  with 
the  women  and  childi'en,  who  were  savt'd,  by  tiiose  who  had  mas- 
siicreil,  HI  cold  blood,  thirty  men,  save  two,  taken  prisoners  in 
battle.  The  same  historian  tluis  details  the  seepiel :  "The  i'c- 
(|Uot  women  and  children  who  hiid  been  captivated,  were  di\iiii'd 
ami>ng  the  tioops.  Some  were  carrie(|  to  ( 'onnecticut,  others  to 
Mas.sachuselts.     The  people  of  Mas.sachu.setts  sent  a  nundjcr  of  tin; 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


3il 


womea  anil  l)()ys  to  th>".  Wi'st  Iiulit-s,  and  sold  them  as  shires.  It 
was  supposed  that  ahont  seven  liniidrcd  PcMjuots  were  destroyed." 

"Tliis  happy  event,"  eonchides  tlic  historian,  allii(hnt>-  to  the 
conehision  of  the  war,  by  the  extermination  and  captivity  of  so 
many  liuman  beings,  "gave  great  joy  to  the  colonics.  A  day  of 
pnhlic  thank.sgiving  was  appointed ;  and  in  all  the  churches  of 
New  England  devout  and  animated  praises  were  addressed  to  Ilim 
who  giveth  his  people  the  victory,  and  causcth  them  to  dwell  in 
safety !" 

In  an  old  and  curious  work,  Gookin's  History  of  the  Praying 
Indians,  the  autlior  consoles  himself  on  account  of  the  atrocities 
practised  against  the  Indians,  by  the  comfortaljlc  reflection,  that, 
"  doubtless  one  great  end  God  aimed  at,  was  the  punishment  and 
destruction  of  many  of  the  wicked  heathen,  who.se  iniquities  were 
now  full." 

In  the  instructions  given  to  Major  Gibbons,  who  was  sent  from 
Massacluisetts  in  1045,  against  the  Narragansets,  are  these  words: 
"You  are  to  have  dm;  regard  to  the  distance  which  is  to  bo 
ol)serve(l,  betwi.xt  Christians  and  barbarians,  as  well  in  wars  as  in 
otlu;r  negotiations." 

On  tliis  jiassage  Governor  Hutchinson  remarks,  "  It  seems  strange 
that  men,  who  professed  to  believe  that  God  hath  made  of  one  Ijlood 
all  nations  of  men,  for  to  dwell  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  should 
so  earl}',  and  upon  every  occasion,  take  care  to  j)reserve  this 
distinction.  Perhaps  nothing  has  more  ellectually  defeated  tho 
endeavors  for  christianizing  the  Indians."  This  is  e.vactly  the  pro- 
])osition  we  are  endeavorint,'-  to  establish. 

We  liave  not  forgotten  the  KUiots,  tiie  Jirainerds,  and  other  good 
men  who  devoted  themselves  with  zeal  and  fidelity  to  the  work  of 
ciiristianizing  the  savages.  Tiieir  memories  will  live  in  history, 
and  Ik'  cherished  by  every  friend  of  humanity.  In  every  nation, 
and  in  all  ages,  there  have  existed  noble  spirits,  iniliued  with  a 
love  for  their  species,  and  acting  upon  the  highest  impulses  oi  a 


^^ 


3i2 


AN  KSSAY  ON   TIIIO   HISTORY   OF 


ircni-  oils  niituro,  or  Imnihlo  Cliristiiiiw,  wlio  wcrt'  (•(nilial  in  \w\.\ 
in  the  path  of  duty.  Wo  would  not  cvon  pass  lluiu  liy  wilhont 
tlic  tribute  of  our  approbation;  but  their  deeds  form  no  |)art  of  the 
history  on  wliich  we  are  connnentiug,  and  are  but  sHgiilly  con- 
nected with  it.  Our  piirpo.se  is  not  to  treat  of  tlie  j^ood  or  evil 
con(hu't  of  individuals,  whose  inlluencc  was  but  temporary  and 
local ; — it  is  to  show  the  <,rciieral  current  of  the  inipression.s  made 
upon  the  minds  of  the  Aboriguics,  by  the  actions  of  comniunities 
and  pulilic  functionaries. 

We  have  not  selected  these  instances  invidiously,  l)ut  only  be- 
cause they  an;  prominent  and  clearly  attested.  The  same  feeliii<rs 
and  code  of  morals,  the  same  disregard  of  the  rights  of  tiie  Indians, 
and  of  the  obligations  of  justice  and  Christian  benevolence,  were 
general.  They  pervaded  the  j)ublic.  sentiment  of  the  aire,  an  I 
marked  the  conduct  of  all  the  colonists,  witii  a  few  liounral/l,' 
e\'cei)tions,  whicli  we  shall  proceed  to  notice. 

In  order  to  malu!  out  the  case  which  I  [jropose  to  estal)lisli,  it  is 
necQssary  to  sliow,  not  onl}'  that  the  whites  have  abused  the  iios- 
pitality,  trampL  d  on  tlie  rights,  and  exasperated  the  feelings  of  tlie 
Indians,  without  any  just  provocation,  but  that  a  contrary  course 
would  liave  l)een  practicable,  as  well  as  expedient. 

Wi!  arc  aware  that  it  may  Ix;  suggested  that,  in  .some  instances, 
the  Indians  were  the  first  aggressors,  that  they  were  treacherous 
and  tickle,  and  when  hostilities  were  once  provoked,  their  im- 
l)lacable  dispositions,  and  cruel  mode  of  warfare,  rendered  conciha- 
tion  impossil)le,  and  gave,  neeessaril}',  a  harsh  character  to  tlie 
warfare.  All  this  may  be  admitted  without  alFording  any  exteiuia- 
tion  of  the  condm-t  of  the  wiiites.  They  were  intruders  in  a 
strange  land  ;  their  coming  was  voluntary  and  uninvited  ;  thev  iiad 
'X)  estal)lish  a  charjicter.  They  were  Christians,  professing  an 
elevated  co(h'  of  morals,  in  which  forbearance  and  tia^  forgivenc-^s 
of  injuries  form  cons|iicuous  points,  while  tiie  Indians  were  wiiolly 
ignorant  of  tiiose  virtues.     Among  the  Indians  revenge  is  a  point 


THE  NORTH  AMI:IIK;A\   INDIANS. 


848 


(if  iliity,  ill  tlio  Christiiiii  code  it  is  a  criiiu".  AV'luit  waS  ri^lit,  or 
at  k'ast  innocout,  in  the  one  party,  was  liiglily  criminal  in  the 
other. 

If  the  Indians  arc  constitutionally  inacccssil)]c  to  kindness — if 
tlicy  arc  wholly  intractable — if  tlicy  can  form  no  just  ajijircciation 
ol  the  conduct  of  other  men,  and  are  incapahlc  of  <rralitndc — the 
(|ucstion  is  at  rest.  But  we  apprehend  that  they  miifjit  have  been 
conciliated  by  kindness,  just  as  easily  as  they  were  provoked  by 
violence;  anil  that  the  foundations  of  mutual  esteem  and  con- 
fidence miy;iit  have  been  laid  as  deep  and  as  broad  as  those  of  that 
stupendous  fabric  of  reventre,  hatred,  and  deception,  which  has 
grown  up,  and  is  now  witnessed  with  sorrow  by  all  good  men. 

To  establish  this  position,  we  shall  refer  to  two  instances  in 
which  the  Indians  were  trcat«'d  with  uniform  kindness,  and  in 
both  which  the  results  were  such  'as  to  prove  the  correctness  of 
our  reasoning. 

The  hrst  is  that  of  William  I'enn,  uhosc  great  wi.sdom  and 
benevolence  have  never  been  esteemed  as  highly  as  they  deserve, 
and  who  has  never  yet  received  tin;  ap|)lause  which  is  his  due  as  a 
statesman  and  philanthropist.  In  uniting  these  characters,  and 
acting  practically  upon  the  liroad  pniici[)lcs  of  justice,  he  was  in 
advance  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  was  neither  understood 
nor  imitated.  It  was  in  Pennsylvania  that  the  true  princi[)les  of 
liijcrty  were  first  planted  on  this  continent.  Others,  with  greater 
pretensions,  saw  but  dindy  the  dawn  of  that  glorious  day  which 
was  destined  to  Inu'st  upon  our  lanil.  Lii)crty  was  to  them  an 
aljstraction ;  thev  understood  the  theory,  and  discussed  it  ably,  in 
all  its  bearings,  l)ut  followiul  out  its  precepts  with  little  success. 
The  founder  of  Pennsylvania  liveil  uj)  to  the  [)rinciples  that  he 
professed.  In  his  public  conduct  lie  coiisulted  his  conscience,  his 
.sense  of  right  and  wrong,  and  iiis  kno\\iedue  (if  human  nature.  Ih^ 
ijclievcd  that  tile  Indians  had  .souls.  Ih  treated  tiiem  iudix  ichially 
as  human  beings,  as  men,  as  friends;    and   negotiated  with  their 


^m 


3U 


AN   ESSAY   ON   TIN':   HISTORY  OF 


trihfs  iis  willi  iiKlfiiciuU'iit  uiiil  res|)oiisiblu  j)iiljlic  bodies,  trusting 
iiii|»liritly  in  tlicir  honor,  and  pk'difin^'  in  sincerity  his  own.  He 
was  a  \\\\\\\  of  cidiirj^ed   views,  wliose  mind  was  above  tiie   petty 


artitiees  of  diploniaey 


llis  ^freat  mind  was  uniformly  inlluenced, 


in  llis  intercourse  with  the  Alioriirines,  by  those  immutable  ])riu- 
i-iplfs  of  justice,  wiiicli  every  whi're,  and  for  all  purposes,  must  be 
ri'Liardcd  as  fundamental,   if  liuman  exertions  jire  to  be  crowned 


itii    noble    and    |)ermanent    results. 


In  the  l:ith,  nth,  and 
i.')lh  sections  of  the  Constitution  of  his  Colony,  it  was  provided 
as  till  lows : 

'•  \o  man  .shall,  by  any  ways  or  means,  in  word  or  deed,  adroiit 
nr  wrouij;  an  Indian,  lint  he  shall  iiKMir  llir  saiiir  pciidUij  of  the  law 
as  if  he  had  conuuiltcd  it  ai^ainst  his  fellow  planter;  and  if  any 
Indian  shall  abuse,  in  word  or  deed,  any  ])lanler  of  the  province, 
lir  sinill  not  lie  /lis  oirii  Jiifh/r  upon  the  Indian,  but  he  shall  make  his 
complaint  to  the  (iuvernor,  or  some  inferior  magistrate  ne;u' him, 
who  shall,  to  tlie  utmost  of  his  power,  tak{>  can*,  with  the  KinL"'  of 
the  said  Indian,  that  all  reasonalilc  .satisfaction  be  made  to  the 
injured    planter.      .Ml  dill'erences    between    tlie    |tlanters  and    the 


n  I 


iti\t's  shall  also  be  ended   bv  tirr/i 


■r   llirii. 


that 


IS,  si.c 


pliiult 


ra  and 


six  iitilircft ;  so  that  we   may  live   friendly  toiicther,  as  much  as  in 
us  lieth,  preventiu"4  all  onn.sions  of  heart  buriiinijs  and  mischief" 

In  these  simple  articles  we  find  the  verv  essence  of  all  <fond 
;fovermuent — n/i/iili/i/  (ffjit/lits.  The  tidlden  rule  of  the  Christian 
code  was  the  fundamental  maxim  of  his  political  edifice.  Instead 
of  makinif  oiw  rule  of  action  for  the  white  man.  and  another  for  the 


Ind 


ian,  tli(>.  same 


iiioih 


e  and   measure 


of  justice  was  orcscribed  to 


both  ;  and  while  his  strict  adherence  to  the  <j:reat  principles  of  civil 
and  reliiiious  freedom  entitle  the  virtuous  I'l'im  to  tlu>  iu|j;hest  place 
as  a  lawtiivcr  and  benefactor  of  mankind,  it  justly  earned  for  him 
from  the  Indians  the  aflTectionate  title  liv  which  they  always  s])oku 
of  him.  "their  j^reat  and  good  Onas."  'I'lie  result  was,  that  so  long 
as  Pennsvlvania  remained  under  the  immediate  [rovernment  of  its 


THE   NORTH   AMKlilC.W   INDIANS. 


845 


foiiiidcr,  tlic  most  iiiiiiciililc  iclatioiis  ucrc  iii  liiitiiiiu'd  wit  :  ihn 
iiMtivcs.  His  sclicinc  i>f  {jovcriuiicnt  ciiiliniicd  no  iiiilitarv  iiriii ; 
iM'itlicr  1ro.)|)s,  forts,  nor  nii  iirnicil  pcMsaiilry.  'I'hc  dortrinr  of 
kccpinLr  |),';icc  by  licin«r  |)rc();in'(l  lor  wiir,  entered  not.  into  Ids 
system;  liis  maxim  was  to  iivoid  ''  fi//  omisioii.s  (//'heart  l)urnini;s 
anil  ndseldel',"'  and  to  retain  the  rriendsiiip  of  his  neinldxirs  liv 
never  doulitinu'  nor  almsinL!-  it.  He  jiiit  on  riLditeonsness.  and  it 
"'lothed  him.  The  ureat  ('liristi;in  law  of  love  was  the  vital  prin- 
ciple of  his  administration,  and  w;is  all  jioteat  as  an  armor  of 
deleiice,  and  as  a  stroiiif  hidwark  against  everv  foe. 

'I'h(!  Indians,  sava^re  as  tiiey  are,  were  awed  and  won  hv  a  ))olicv 
so  jnst  and  p-ieifie;  and  the  Qnakers  had  no  Indian  wars.  'I'ho 
horrors  of  the  lirehrand  anil  the  tomahawk,  of  wideli  other  colonists 
had  sncli  dreadfid  experience,  were  unknown  to  them  ;  and  they 
cidtivated  their  farms  in  peace,  for  nearly  sixty  years,  with  no  other 
armor  than  the  powerfnl  name  of  Penn,  and  the  inotrensivenes,s  of 
their  own  lives. 

Ill  Watson's  "  Account  of  ntickinu:ham  and  So|el)nry,"  in  Penn 
sylvania,  jjuhlislied  in  the  Memoirs  of  the  Historical  Societv  of 
Pennsylvania,  we  fnid  the  followiuL;'  strikiiiu'  remarks:  "In  1(590, 
tiiere  were  many  settlements  of  Indians  in  thei^'  town.ships.  Tra- 
dition re|)orts  that  they  were  kind  neit,dd)ors,  supplvinir  the  white 
j)eople  with  meat,  and  sometimes  with  beans  and  other  vegetables, 
which  they  did  i/i  prrfirt  r/iarifi/,  l)rinuinL;-  presents  to  their  hon.ses, 

and  refusing  paij.     A  harmony  arose  out  of  tiieir  tiial  intercnurso 

and  dependence.  The  ditleronce  between  th,^  fannlies  of  tin;  white 
man  and  tin;  Indian  was  not  threat — when  t  >  live  was  the  "Teatest 
hope,  and  to  enjoy  a  bare  sidliciency  the  irreatest  luxury."  This 
])a,ssai4e  reipures  no  comment;  .so  strontfly  does  it  contrast  with  the 
accounts  of  other  new  settlements,  and  so  fullv  does  it  dis[)la\  tlie 
fruits  of  a  prudent  and  eipiit-able  system  of  civil  administration. 

There  are  many  facts  connected  with  the  settlements  upon  the 
Delaware,    which  are  extremely   interestiuif.      The   Swedes,   who 

14 


3  ill 


AN   ESSAY   ON   TIIFO   HISTOKV   OK 


wore  tilt'   lirst  occiipiiiits,  diiti;  liack  iis  I'ai'  lis   llic   Vfar  UiUl.  and 
rciiiiiiiinl  soallcrcd  at  several   places  tor  sdriietlniiif  like  forty  years. 


|iri'\  ioiis  to  the  a 


■rival  (if  I'riiii.      'i'liev  were  liw  in   ininihei 


lere  iieitlier  a  military  nor  a  tradiiiL;'   |ieo|ile;   neitlii-r  tiie  love  of 


'fold,  nor  tlie  Inst  of  carnaifc,  te 


lliein  into  ads  of  insnit  and 


oiiiiressi 


Indians. 


on,   and    lliev   lived    in    iminterrniited    liarnionv    witli    tlu 


P 
Had   tlieir  intercourse  witli   tlie  savages  lieen  interrupted 


ii\'   lioslilities,  Penn  wduld    not    iiavi 

,1 


neeii 


■ived   with   the  cor- 


dialitv  and   eoniidence  uliieli   marked   his  lirst   interviews  u 


ith  th 


trnies,  and  characterized 


II  1 


us  n 


i'lti 


oils  W  1 


th  tl 


lein. 


nm 


lio  tomiM 


the  Indians  IVicndly,  iiotw  ithstainlin^-  their  loiifi'  intercourse  with 
the  SwcmU's. 

It  is  a  sinirnlar  cireunistanee,  that  tlit^  Quakers  had  so  much 
eoniidence  in  their  ouii  .system  of  |ieaeo  and  forhearauee,  that  they 
did  not  erect  a  fort,  nor  or<jfaiii/e  any  militia  for  their  defence,  nor 
provide  themselves  with  any  of  the  eniiines  or  munitions  of  war, 
hut  wiMit  ipiietly  aliotit  their  business,  clearintf  land,  firminif, 
huildiiiLr,  and  trading',  without  any  molestation  from  the  Indians, 
and   without   any   a])|)reheiision   of  damper.      In   the    fra<rinents  of 


mes,   we   read  a 


(Veeti 


na 


history  handed  down  to  us  from  those  ti 
accounts  of  sulVerin<r  from  sickness,  hiiii'^rcr,  jjoverty,  exposure — 
from  all  the  causes  which  ordinarily  udlict  an  infant  colony,  except 
war — hut  we  read  of  no  wars,  nor  rumors  of  wars.  Of  the  Indians, 
l)iit  little  is  said.     'I'liey  an;  only  mentioned   iucidentullv,  and  then 


ilways  with   kindness 


In  tl 


lose   tunes,"  sa\s  one  of  their 


his- 


torians, "  the  Indians  and   Swedes  wer 


V.   Kind 


iiid   active 


to  1 


irin^- 


in,  and  vend,  at  moderate  prices,  ])roper  articles  of  subsistence." 
An  instance  is  told  of  a  lady,  Mrs.  C'handler,  who  arrived  at  Phila- 
delphia with  eight  or  nine  children,  havinir  lost  her  husband  on  the 
voyajro  out.  !She  was  lodged  in  a  cave,  on  tlie  bank  of  llie  river, 
and,  being  perfectly  destitute,  was  a  subject  of  general  compassion. 
The  [leople  were  kind  to  them,  and  none  more  so  than  the  Indians, 
who  fretpiently  brought  them  food.     "  In  future  years,"  says  our 


•niK  NO  Kill    A.MKRICAN    INDIANS. 


:U7 


.•intliority,  •' wlifii  tlic  cliililicii  tfrcu  up,  llicy  always  riMiifiiilirrod 
tliii  kiiiil  Indians,  ami  tcmk  many  tt|>iMirtunili»'s  of  iM^lViuntling  tlina 
and  llu'ir  tiiniiiics  in  rrtnrn.  " 

An  old  lady,  wlinsc  rcfollt'ctioiiM  Imvc  Im-cu  rcrordod  by  one  nl' 
licr  dcsccndanis,  was  |)rcscn1  at  one,  of  Pcnn's  first  intcrviows  witli 
tlic  "  Indians  an<l  Swedes" — for  slm  iiaincs  tlicni  lotfcllicr,  as  if 
llicy  iiiMcd  in  concert,  or  at  least  in  liarnionv.  "Tliey  met  liini  at 
or  n(>ar  the  present  riiiladel[)liia.  'I'lie  Indians,  as  well  as  tlu^  ' 
wliitis,  had  sevctrally  prepared  the  l)est  eutertivininent  the  place 
and  eircntnslances  conid  admit.  William  I'enn  made  liiniselt' 
endeared  to  the  Indians  by  his  marked  condescension  and  accpii- 
escence  in  their  wishes.  He  walked  with  them,  sat  with  them  on 
tho  ground,  and  ate  with  them  of  their  roastcrl  acorns  and  honiinv. 
At  this  thoy  e.vpn'ssed  <rreat  delit,dit,  and  some  i)e^ran  to  show  how 
they  co\dd  hop  and  jump;  at  which  e.xhiliition,  William  IVnn.  to 
ca|>  the  climax,  spran<4  "P  "'"1  '"'"'^  them  all!" 

'The  date  of  I'enn's  patent  was  in  l()Sl,  anil  he  rroverned  Pcun- 
syh.xiii  I  intil  17l'2.  It  is  the  iioast  of  his  |)eo|)le,  a  hoast  of  which 
thoy  may  well  bo  proud,  that  no  Quaker  l)lood  was  shed  l)v  the 
natives.  They  employed  neither  fraud  nor  force  in  gaining  a 
foothold  upon  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania;  and  there  is  neither  record 
nor  tra<lition  which  accuses  them  of  injustice  or  intolerance  towards 
till!  ignorant  and  confiding  triix's  i)y  whom  thev  wcn^  kindlv 
received.  His  government  wius  founded  upon  the  principles  of  the 
lliblc,  and  sucli  was  their  ellicacy,  that  not  only  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  his  government,  liut  for  sonic  years  utter  he  ceased  to 
rule,  the  white  and  red  men  lived  in  peace.  In  17U,  a  ])etition 
was  addressed  to  the  King,  by  the  City  Council  of  Philadelphia, 
".setting  forth  the  defenceless  .state  of  said  citv,  and  rerpiestiiiir  his 
majesty  to  take  the  defenceless  condition  of  tho  inhai)itaiits  into 
consideration,  and  aflbrd  them  such  relief  as  his  Majestv  shall 
think  fit."  This  is  the  first  record  that  we  find,  in  which  allusion 
is  mjulc  to  military  defences  in  that  colony,  and  this  was  fifty-throe 


848 

AN 

KSSAl 

•   ON 

Tin: 

MIST 

ORY 

OF 

. 

vcai 

s  litter  1 

lie  di 

itc  t 

1    1 

(•iiir< 

patent 

dnrin 

J  all 

wliicli  1 

inie 

tliev 

had 

niaintaiiied  ])eace 

by 

their 

jfood  eonduet 

not  by  their  defensive 

anil 

IIIH'lltS. 

'I'lic  otlitT 

inst! 

Mi'C 

uc 

slial] 

addnee 

,  is  dee 

nie<l  1 

):irticnli 

.riy 

appo- 

site, 

as  it  (iciMiirn 

lat 

tlie 

same 

period 

under 

siniil 

ar  eireninst; 

mces. 

ami 

ainoiiir  a 

|it'i> 

.1. 

li.' 

very  reverse 

of  llie 

(IwA 

ers  ie. 

cliar 

icter. 

and 

wlio  liai 

1  not 

tlu' 

sli 

tf'iilest 

eornniiMiieation  or 

eon  nee 

•tion 

with 

tliem.  'I'he  Freneii  setth^d  at  Kaskaskia  previous  to  tlie  year  17(Hl. 
\\  V  cannot  I'lx  tlie  i)reiMse  date;  liut  there  are  (h'e<]s  now  on  record. 
in  tlie  public  ollices  at  that  place,  which  bcMrdatc!  in  k71'-2,  and  it 
is  prol)alile  that  several  years  iiMist  iiave  elapsed  from  the  tir>t 
settlintr  of  the  cojonv.  beiore  ••euiilar  transfers  of  real  estate  c(nd(l 
take  place,  and  bejore  tiicic  could  have  been  othcers  authori/i'd  to 
authenticate   such    proceed in'j:s        It    is  the  ireneral    nnderstantlinn' 


.f   tlie   ol( 


1    !• 


rench   si 


ttl 


ers.   that 


niladeloliia, 


Detroit,  an 


kaskia  were  settled  about  the  same   time.      The  French,  in  llbii< 


li 


ved   upon  the    most   aniicalile  trrnis  \\i 


it',   the    Indians.      Like  ll 


(Jinkcrs.  lliev  kept  up  an  iuliT(  iiaiejc  oj"  iVicndU  ollices.  trealih'j 
tiu'in  with  kindness  and  e(pnt\-,  and  dcalin'/  witii  them  upon  terms 
ol"  perfs-ct  eipiality.  'I'liev  even  intermarried  with  them — whii'li 
the  (Quakers  could  not  do.  williou.  beini,r  nu"ned  out  of  meetinu — 
iMitertained    them    at    tiirir    houses,   and    showed    them,    in    \arioiis 


w  i\  ^. 


tliat    the\     consiilercd    die  in 


fellow crcatiiri's,    h.ivniLr 


piril\   ol  interests,  priin'iiilcs.  and  feelinu;s  with  tl 


Th 


nv 


arest  nelirlibors  weri'  the 


distant    a 
intermina 


thou 
ble    I 


■'in 
fr 


ulisl 


1.  on  the  si  ,irc>  ol  the 


Atl 


IlltIC, 


stind    miles,    Iroin    whom    tliev    were    separated 


orests,    aiK 


irner    of    mountains    then    deemed 


insui'iionn 


table,  ami   with    whom    tlie\-   had    no    more    intercourse 


tl 


cm  with  tlu' 


CI 


unese 


A   mere   handful,   in  the   heart  of  a    v,i..l 


wilderness,  and  cut  olV  from  all   the  civili/ei'    ^orM,  tliev  could   not 
li.T.e  existed  a  day,  but  bv  permission  of  the  immerous  savages   bv 


whom  tliev  were  siirroiimled. 


Jl 


le   i'reneli  were  allurei 


to   III 


mois   111  scan 


■h  of 


d.     •{■ 


If 


THE   NORTH   A.MKFUCAN   r\T)rAN5?. 


3H> 


loaders  of  the  cdlony  ucn'  iidvciiturcrs  iif  mhiic  iiitt'!li'j;('ii("(\  hut 
tin:  mass  oi'  tlit>  [icoplr  were  pciisaiils  iVotii  an  interior  part  of 
France,  wlio  hroii«4lit  witli  them  tho  careless  ifaietv,  the  rustle 
svrnpli<-ity,  the  unsophisticated  iirnorance,  whicli  (Hstinu^nislied 
lh(!  peasantry  of  that  country  l)efor(;  tin;  Revohition.  Contented 
and  unambitious,  the  disappointment  of  not  liudin^  mines  of  thi; 
prccions  metid  (Md  not  ad'eel  them  dee|)ly,  and  tiiev  sat  down 
(piietly  in  tli(3  satisfied  enjoyment  of  snch  ])leasuros  and  cond'orts 
as  tlio  cotintry  alfonh'd.  llavinur  no  land  specidations  in  view, 
nor  any  eommercial  monopolies  in  prospect,  they  were  under  no 
temptation  to  del)aso  the  Indian  mind,  and  all  their  dealiufrs  with 
the  sava<res  were  condticted  willi  fiiirness.  They  had  live  villaires 
on  ihe  Mississippi;  Kaskaskia,  i'rairie  du  Hcxdier,  Saii.t  IMiiHij)|ie, 
l-'ort  ('hartres,  and  ("aliokia.  I'ort  Chartres  was  :i  vi^ry  strong' 
fortification,  aiu'  miifht  have  protected  ilie  villaire,  of  llu;  same 
name,  adjacent  to  it.  'I'here  was  a  fort  at  Kaskaskia,  hut  it  was 
xcrv  Miiall,  and  heinu;  on  tiic  opposite  .si<le  of  the  river  irom  tin; 
town,  could  h;i\('  allordccl  little  protection  to  the  kitter  from  an 
attaidi  of  Indians.  'The  eulv  other  fortress  was  at  C.-ahokia,  and  is 
descrihed  hv  an  early  writer  as  "no  way  distiuifiiished,  except  hv 
liein<4  the  meanest  lotr-house  in  th<^  town."  The  \  ill;e_n's  of  I'rairie 
ilu  Uocher  and  Saint  IMiillijjpe  had  no  militar\  di>fences.  ^'et  uc^ 
do  not  hear  of  hurninirs  and  scalpiiiirs  amniiL;  tlie  early  settlers  of 
that  region.  Now  and  then  an  al'lVay  occurred  hetwiMMi  a  I'rench- 
man  and  an  Indian,  and  occasionally  a  lili'  was  lost;  hut  theso 
wero  precisely  the  kind  of  exceptions  which  prove  the  truth  of  a 
iriMieral  rule;  for  such  accidents  must  have  been  the  result  of 
departures  hy  individuals  from  those  principles  of  amity  which 
wore  ohservetl  hv  their  respceliv;',  communities.  The  French 
were  expert  in  the  use  of  lire-arms;  they  roamed  far  and  wide  into 
the  Indian  eountrv,  and  it  woiilil  Vwv.  been  a  strantre  anomaly  in 
till"  history  of  warriors  and  hunters,  had  no  personal  conllicts 
onsued.     But  these  alirays  did  not  disturb  the  general  harmony, 


;).'50 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HIS  10 II Y    OF 


wliicli  is  !i  conclusive  cvidoiico  lliat  no  latent  jealousy,  no  sup- 
pressed resentment  for  past  injuries,  rankled  in  the  bosom  of  either 
party.  The  Indians  even  sufl'i  red  themscilves  to  be  baptized  ;  and 
at  one  time  a  larjfc  porticm  of  ihe  Kaskaskia  tribe  professed  the 
Jiomtm  Catholic  faith. 

Such  was  the  conlidence  inspired  liy  the  pacific  conduct  of  the 
French  settlers  here  and  in  Canada,  that  their  traders  ascended  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  the  Mississippi,  traversed  the  northern  lakes, 
ami  penetrated  to  every  part  of  the  western  wilderness  without 
Miolestatioii.  Tln-y  enyro.ssed  the;  fur  trade;,  and  became  so 
fascinated  witli  tiiis  nuMh'  of  hfe,  tiiat  niunl)ers  of  them  devoted 
tliemselves  to  the  Inisiness  of  condnctin|^  tiit  canoe,  and  fornieil 
tliat  class  of  voijtnjiiirs,  who  continue,  to  this  day,  to  be  the  chief 
carriers  of  tlral  trade.  Tiiey  |)a.ss  between  the  white  men  and 
In<lians,  jiartakinu;  the  haliits  of  liotli,  and  living;  ha|)pil3'  witli 
eitlier.  While  llie  Kn<j:lishman  dared  not  Venturis  bevond  llie 
frontier  of  his  .settlements,  the  Fremiiman  roamed  over  the  wliole 
ot"  this  vast  retiion,  and  was  every  where  a  welcome  visitor.  'I'iie 
travellers,  La  Salle,  Hennepin,  Manpu'tle,  and  others,  traversed 
the  entire  West,  and  were  received  with  cordiality  by  all  tli(> 
tiilx's. 

Here,  then,  we  perceive  the  contrast,  whii-h  allbrds  an  e.vplana- 
lion  to  some  of  the  apparent  dilliculties  of  this  suiiject.  Those 
who  cauH"  amon;f  the  Aboriiiines  wilii  sincerely  pacific  intentions, 
who  conducted  ihemselves  witii  f'.ankness,  practisinif  the  law  ol" 
love,  and  ol)servinu  ''"'  oijliijatii.ns  of  l'o<mI  faith,  found  the  natives 
accessii)le  to  kindness,  and  were  enabled,  bv  theii'  superior  know- 
K'd^e,  to  exert  over  them  a  beneficial  indiience.  IJut  those  who 
came  with  ponce  on  their  lips,  with  arms  in  thiir  hands,  with 
plunder  in  their  hearts,  and  persecution  and  scorn  ol"  the  heatlu'ii 
in  their  creeds,  soon  iM'came  the  objects  of  that  never  d\  inur  spirii 
of  reveuLfc,  which  is  tlu'  master  passion  of  the  savaLfe  itosom. 

No  soom-r  did    Peiiii  ccjuse  to  rule  in    I'eimsvlvania.  than  those 


r 


TIIK  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


Sfil 


liiitiiaric  proropls,  wliicli  rxnlted  liis  crnveriiinciit  alK)V(\  lliat  of 
every  ntlicr  coloiiv,  aiirl  wliicli  cslalilisli  for  liini  the  lii<^liost  claim 
to  the  lidiior  of  liavinn"  plaiilcd  the  Inic  ])i-iiici[)l{'s  of  civii"  lilKiiy 
on  tliis  coiitinriit,  Im'^mii  to  hv  iio<,drcte(l.  I  [is  iiioiiiorv,  and  tlio 
•rralofiil  odor  of  liis  t^ood  deeds,  for  awhile  threw  an  armor  of 
defence  over  those  wlio  sueceeih'd  him;  l)ut  in  a  sliort  time  Peiin- 
sylvaniii  heiran  to  he  (h'solaled  liy  Indian  wars.  W'itii  him  ceased 
ail  [rood  faitli  witii  the  trilies.  His  snccessors  had  neitlier  ids 
talents,  liis  honesty,  nor  his  firmness;  they  iollowed  none  of  his 
jjreeepts,  nor  Uejjt  any  of  his  enirai^ements.  Fire-arms,  jrunpowder, 
and  that  insidious  drutr,  whicli  the  Indians  call  the  /in-irate>-  of  the 
irliilr  iiin/i,  were  freely  nsed  in  tlie  cilonw  and  sold  to  the  natives. 
The  planters  hetran  to  arm  in  self-defence.  Occnsioiix  of  o(J'nire 
were  fre(pient.  and  no  ell'ort  was  made  t-  pri'vent  them.  "The 
fXreat  and  u(">d  Onas"  was  no  Ioniser  there  to  ponr  ont  his  kinil 
spirit,  like  oil,  npon  the  waves  of  human  passion.  Hostilities 
ensued  ;  the  frontiers  of  Peimsylvania  snllered  all  the  horrors  of 
horder  warfare,  and  the  sentiment  expres.sed  li\'  I'enii,  in  His;;, 
proved  proplietic  :  "If  my  luirs  do  not  kee|)  to  (iod,  in  justice, 
mercy,  eipiiiy,  and  fear  of  the  Lord,  they  will  lose  all,  and  desola- 
tion will  follow." 

The  same  residt  occurred  in  Illinois.  Tiie  amiahle  French 
lived  in  peace  with  the  Indians  tor  a  whole  centurv  ;  lint  when 
th(^  "  Lonjr  KiMves"  lie<j;an  to  ennurate  to  the  c(iun1r\ ,  |ireed\  for 
\l'\\n,  eaifcr  to  pos.sess  the  lands  of  the  natives,  ■m\{\  lull  of  no\(l 
speculations,  liostililies  conunenceil,  and  coidinued  until  the  wiutes 
irained  the  complete  mastery. 

In  order  to  tj;ive  full  \vei;r!:t  to  lhe.se  facts,  and  to  perceive  clearlv 
their  appli(;atiou  to  our  suiiject,  it  must  he  reri)llecled  tiiat  national 
prejudices  are  m.ist  cleep|\  rooted,  and  most  lasting,  aniony  an 
uuenlinhleneil  people.  The  ii.niorant  have  narrow  \  iews,  heiause 
they  can  jiidyc  only  i'rom  what  the\  see.  Those  simple  and  unlet- 
lerod  tribes,  wiio.se  onl)'  occu|)ations  are  war  and  hunting,  preserve 


3.V2 


AN   KSS  AY  ON    IlIK   HISTORY   OF 


tlir  few  cvciits  lliat  iii1''rni|i1  tlir  dull  inoiiotouy  of  their  nalioiia. 
t'xis1('iic'(>.  l)v  triiditions,  uliicli  iiro  hainlrd  down  with  siiijjular 
tenacity  lioiii  m'licratiiin  tn  irciicratimi.  The  otdy  nietital  culture 
which  the  children  receive,  consists  in  repeating  to  thein  the 
adventures  of  their  fathers,  and  the  infant  mind  is  tluis  indelil)ly 
impressed  with  all  the  predihu-tions  and  a'ltipathies  of  the  parent. 
To  these  early  impressions  there  is  no  counter  inllucnee;  no 
philosophy  to  enlarge  the  houndaries  of  thought,  to  examine 
evidence,  and  to  detect  error;  no  religion  to  suggest  the  exorcise 
of  charity,  or  impose  the  duty  of  forgiveness.  The  traditions  of 
each  trihe  arc  widely  spread  by  the  ])raeticc  of  repeating  them  !it 
the  great  councils,  at  which  the  warriors  of  various  trilx's  are 
assembled  ;  and  thus  the  wrou'jfs  which  they  sullertMl  from  the 
wliilc  men  liecame  mnerally  known,  and  perhap.s  greatly  exag- 
grialcd.  Amonu'  liiem,  t' .,,  revenge  is  a  nohle  priuei|)le,  imhihed 
witli  their  mother's  milk,  justitied  liy  their  code  of  honor,  and 
rec(>!jfni/ed  li\'  their  c\istoms.  It  is  as  much  a  dutv  with  them  to 
revenge  a  wrong  as  it  is  with  us  to  discliarge-  a  debt,  or  fidfd  a 
cnnlract  ;  and  the  injury  inllicled  u|)on  the  father  rankles  in  tiie 
l)osom  (if  the  ciiild,  until  ri'C(impcns(>  is  made,  or  retaliation 
inllicled.  We  infer,  then,  that  v.e  owe  miicli  of  the  unhappy 
.state  of  feeliu'jf.  which  exists  between  the  Indians  and  ourselves, 
to  the  injuries  inllicted  un  their  race,  and  the  prijudices  excited 
iiv  the  discoverers  and  colonists,  and  to  tlu^  want  of  sincere, 
judicious,  au<l  patient  exertions  for  nconciliation  on  oui  part. 

We  have  now  passed  hastilv  over  a  period,  (hiring  which  no 
settled  poiicv  seems  to  have  been  adopted  by  tlie  British  or  French 
governments  in  regard  to  their  intercourse  with  the  Aboriuiiies. 
Mver\'  coloin,  every  band  of  adventurers,  was  left  free  ami 
unshackled  to  pursue  the  dictates  of  whim,  or  of  con.M'ience, 
of  graspiiiLr  avarice,  or  enlightened  liJH'rality — to  gain  a  landing 
upon  the  continent  at  their  jiroper  peril,  and  upon  their  own 
terms — to  negotiate,  to  tight,  to  plunder — to  convert  the   Heathen, 


TIIK   NOHTII   AMHRICAN   INDIANS. 


868 


or  1o  cxtorininntc  tlicin,  as  scciiicd  yd'id  ju  their  own  (>v»'s.  Tlirv 
wcri!  only  rcstriiiiuMl  from  iiilnul  iijj;  iipoii  "otluM*  Clirisliaiis," 
who  wore  similarly  cii^ram'd,  in  ortlci  that  each  community  niijrht 
carry  on  its  own  laneiiifs  and  homicides,  accordin<,'  to  its  own 
standard  of  taste  and  morals,  without  instlintr  its  next  nei'dibor. 
Their  intereonrse  with  the  natives  was  the  result  of  accident  or 
ca|irice,  or  was  dictated  hy  the  master  mind  of  some  distinguished 
philanthropist,  or  coiKpieror.  Iiy  a  persecutecj  sectarian  refugee,  an 
exiled  cavalier,  a  <rold  linntintr  ailvenlurer.  or  a  soldier  of  fortune — 
l)y  a  Pi-nn  or  a  Pi/arro,  a  Howard  or  ;i  Diitrald  Dalireltv. 

It  is  uidiappily  true,  as  true  as  gospel,  that  the  heart  of  man  is 
'•deceitful  and  desperately  wicked,"' and  that  whenever  men  arc 
left  to  pursue  their  own  iiicliuations,  unrestraineil  hy  law,  and  hy  u 
wholesome  puhlic  sentiment,  there  will  he  c(prru[)tion  and  violcm-e. 
Tn  the  settlement  of  America  there  trrrc  corruption,  and  violence, 
and  wrong,  |)erpetra1ed  upon  the  native  occupiers  of  thl-  soil,  from 
one  end  of  the  i-onlinent  to  the  other;  and  although  brilliant 
e\ce|)tions  occurred,  they  were  like  ihe  electric  (lashes  in  the 
sinrm,  which  deepen  the  gloom  of  t  le  darkness  hy  comparison, 
wliiie  tiiey  atford  the  light  which  discloses  the  havoc  of  the 
tempest. 

Onr  object  has  been  to  show  \\w.  first  impression  that  was  made 

upon  liie  savage  mind — to  show  that  it  was  deep  and  lasting — and 

tiiat    it   was  adverse   to  civili/ation.      These   impressions  ari'   now 

hardened    into    prejudice   ;ind   conviction;    thev    [irevail   wherever 

the  red  man  exists,  or  the  while  man   is  heard  of,  from  the  fro/en 

wilds  of  Canada,  \>"liere  the  wretched  savage  shivers  half  the   vcar 

m  |)enury  and  laniiuv-,  to  the  sunny  plains  of  the  South,  where  the 

jjiiinli'd   warrior,  decke  1   in  gaudy   plumage,  and   moiuited  on  the 

wild  steed  of  the  prairie,  exhiliits  all  the  magnificence  of  barbarian 

|iom[i.     Tlic)-  form  his  -reed,  and  are  inter\.()ven  with  his  nature; 

and  though  few  can  ex|iress  ihem  so  well,  the\  all   feel,  what  was 

said  by  the  eimpient  Ueil  .lacket.  to  a  missionary,  who  explained  to 
45 


3ot       HISTORY  OF  NORTH    AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


1  im  llin  pure  and  beautiful  code  of  the  Rodoeiner,  and  asked 
permission  to  teach  it  to  his  people :  "  Go,"  said  he,  "  and  teach 
those  doctrines  to  the  white  men — make  them  sober  and  honest — 
tcarli  them  to  love  one  another — persuade  them  to  do  to  others  as 
they  would  have  others  do  to  them,  and  then  bring  your  religion  to 
the  red  men — but  not  until  then  !" 


PAIIT   SECOND. 


Tn  our  pr(!(roflin<r  remnrks,  we  have  cndeavorotl  to  show  tlie  Jirst 
imprrssions  inside  upon  the  Inchan  mind  by  the  conduct  of  the 
discoverers  and  colonists,  acting  without  concert  witli  each  othi-r, 
in  pursuit  of  their  own  purposes,  which  were  selfish  and  mer- 
cenary. 

We  now  propose  to  point  out  the  policy  of  the  European  govern- 
ments when  the  colonies  became  of  suflicient  importance  to  claim 
their  attention,  and  the  commerce  of  the  new  countries  held  out  a 
prospect  of  jrain  which  excited  their  cupidity.  The  unscrupulous 
conduct  of  Great  Britain,  in  the  pro.secution  of  her  vast  schemes  of 
commercial  agirrandizement,  i.s  too  well  understotKl  to  recpiire  com- 
ment. Bold,  ruthless,  and  unprincipled  in  her  mercantile  policy, 
it  was  she  who  planted  slavery  upon  the  soil  of  North  America, 
who  fattened  upon  the  blootl  and  swisit  of  the  slave  in  the  West 
Indies,  who  wning  countless  millions  of  trea.siu-e  from  the  timid 
and  semi-civili/.ed  inhabitants  of  India,  by  the  most  audaciou.s 
system  of  oppression  ;  who  is  now,  in  China,  murdering  an  inof- 
fensive an<l  ingenious  peo))le,  for  refusing  to  purchase  from  them, 
upon  compulsion,  a  poironous  drug,  and  whose  armies  are  deso- 
lating the  mountains  of  Alghanistan. 

The  new  lands  of  America,  which  had  been  freely  <riven  to 
every  adventiirer  who  iisked  for  them,  no  sooner  began  to  developo 
resources  for  commerce,  than  the  greedy  appetite  of  the  mother 
country  became  whetted  tor  spoil.  The  boundaries  of  the  colonies 
began  to  be  enlarged,  forts  were  established  in   the  wilderness  to 

(3.-,5) 


856 


AN    KSSAY    ON    Tlir,    II  I  S  lO  K  V   OF 


awe  the  natives,  wlio  saw  tlnir  aiicient  Imiitiiit'-tjroimds  narrowed 


eoiitiniiallv,    anc 


I    tl 


'II 


eir  (l\vcllin<f-|)liif«'>*   oeeunUM 


(I    1 


J 


n   ra 


paeioi 


IS 


jH'opIe,  and  an  insolent  soldiery:  until,  driven  from  lioundary  to 
Itounilaiy,  tliey  realized,  while  in  life,  the  beautiful  deseri|)tit>n  of 
death,  l)y  tlu'  sacred  jioet,  "  the  places  that  knew  them  once,  knew 


II 


leni  no  more  lor  ev(  r 


fo 


The  intercourse!  with  the  natives  was  conducted  throu|jfh  forls 
and  tradinjr  posts,  by  ollicers  and  aurents,  whose  aim  was  to  secure 
tiie  fur  trade,  and  to  oiitain  irrants  of  land;  and  for  tluMaluablc 
property    thus   obtained,   tlie\    u:ave    them    fu'e-arms,  ammunition, 


trinkets,  [raudy   I'lotliiii;^,  and   spirituous   licpiors. 


•Ilort 


made  to  in 


trod 


uce  amoii'f  them  useful 


iticles,  \\lu<-li  \\i)U 


Id 


was 


ha\e 


promo'icd  their  comfort,  and  tended  to  their  <ivili/ation.  No 
tlioutilit  was  taken  to  inculcate  accurate  notions  of  pro[»erty  and 
value,  by  giving  them  fair  eipiivalents  for  the  articles  reccivctl.  and 
by  inducinu;  them  to  take  tiic  more  useful,  and  the  least  perisliablc 
of  o\u'  fabrics.  The  contr.u'y  policy  was  artfully  adojjtcd  ;  tinsel 
ornaments  and  toys  were  i^iviMi  to  aiu\ise  the  sava^^e  mind,  drink  to 
destrov  his  reason  and  stimulate  his  |)assions,  and  instruments  <if 


war  to  cncouratre 


his  1 


ovc  of  carna"'e 


W 


m    readilv   believe, 


that  had    the    Europeans,   in    tlicir  earliest   intercourse   with    the 
Imwii  ;i  desire  for  their  welfare,  by  \\  ithholdinif  from  them 


nativi 


til 


e  means  of  dissipation,  and  the  engines  ol"  destruiMion,  an 


nad 


furnisbcil  them  w  ith  arliclcs  of  substantial  cond'ort,  mau\  of  tliem 


would    have    been   allured    to  tli 


lentarv  habits  of  eivili/atiou 


and  all  of  them  induced  to  conlide  in  the  sincerity  of  the  white  man. 
At  a  \('rv  earlv  period,  the    l'lnj.;lisli  and   l''rench  colonists  were 


enu:aif((l   m  wars  with  each  other,  am 


th 


oth 


both  parties  endeavored  to 
conciliate  the  natives,  and  emratn'  them  as  auxiliaries.  With  a  full 
knowled'j;e  of  their  moile  of  wartare,  which  destroys  without  respect 
to  ai;e,  scv.  or  condition,  they  were  remilarly  hired,  ami  sent  forlli 
upon   their    bloody    missioi 


1.      I'nriiislied   with    arin.< 


d 


anunu- 


iiition,  clothihi:  and   |)rovisions,  they  accpiired  additional  powers  of 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


3.-.7 


mischief,  aiul  Icunicd  tu  fuel  tlie  iiitportancu  of  their  fiicudsliip  iuul 
their  eniiiit y. 

Both  parties  soiii,'hl  to  sonirr  their  eo-operatioii  liy  iiuikiiiir  Ihein 
presents,  and  it  stH)ii  lieeaiue  the  eiistoiii,  at  all  soleiiiii  eoiineils,  to 
make  valnal)lo  dniiatioiis  to  tlu;  ehiefs  and  inlliieiitial  iiieii,  ix'fori! 
proceediiiir  to  l)iisiiiess.  We  liavi?  no  evidence  that,  previous  to 
our  nejfotiations  with  th(!  triln-s,  they  were  in  the  hal)i,t  of  inakinjf 
valnal)le  presents  to  e:ieli  otlier,  ii|)(in  swell  oceasions.  'i'iie  North 
American  Indians  were  pour,  and  we  suspect  that  among  ♦hem, 
if  pres(>nts  were  made  at  all,  they  were  of  little  value,  and  ijiven 
only  in  token  of  sincerity.  \\ C  intend  this  oliservation  to  applv, 
of  course,  to  eases  where  the  parties  treated  upon  terms  of  perfect 
eipiality,  tor  anionic  all  nations,  civilized  as  wi'll  as  savaye,  a  sul)- 
dued  j)arty  is  compelled  to  purchase  peace. 

It  is  also  true,  that  treaties  have  always  hcen  lea.st  faithfully 
ol)serv(!d  anionic  those  nations  whose  customs  recpiin^  the  weaker 
|)arty  to  purchase  the  friendship  of  the  stronger  hy  hrihes;  onc! 
(larty  is  governed  h}'  fear,  the  other  hy  rapacity,  and  while  the  ont; 
is  always  seeking  pretences  to  make  new  exactions,  the  other  is 
ever  watching  to  ohUiin  revenge  or  inilcMnnity.  It  has  lucn  somv- 
what  thus  with  our  predecessors,  and  their  Indian  allies.  'The 
presents,  which  at  first  were  voluntarily  given,  and  were  received 
with  gratitude,  s«M)n  hecamt!  periodical,  and  hi'gan  at  last  to  Ik; 
demanded  !is  of  right.  The  Indians  acted  precisely  as  tlie  pirates 
of  the  Barhiiry  States  have  always  done  under  sinular  circum- 
staiu;es.  The}-  saw  that  their  situation  enabled  them  to  harass 
the  whites,  and  that  the  latter  were  always  willing  to  avert  their 
hostility  hy  the  |)ayment  of  a  valuable  consideration.  \\  ar  led  to 
negotiations  and  treaties — and  tn-aties  always  lirought  pri'.sents. 
'mplements  of  war,  and  articles  of  dress  and  luxury,  had  been 
introduced  among  them,  to  which  they  had  previously  been 
strangers;  m-w  wants  were  crea.cd,  without  the  .simultaneou.s 
creation  of  any  means  to  supply  them ;    every  treaty  with  tlieir 


1 


858 


AN   KSSAY   ON    THK   I.ISTOHV   OF 


\vc;iilliv   iiciiflilKirs  liroii^lit   in   fresh   stonx  >>{'  tlmsc   fori'i'j;!!    invv 
iliii'ls,  uliicli    till  ir  own   ('uiintrs    ilid    imt   :illiii'>l.   inul   wliich  tlicv 


I  iilllil    lint     {il'iiciirr    III    slllllrlclit    lllilliniaili'i',  I'ltll 


>\  tiiillic  or  Itv 


|>liiiiilt'r ;  iiimI  it  lici-aiiM'  clciirly  tlirir  iiilncNt  to  iiiiilliply  tlic 
occasions  of  such  |irolitahli'  (h|ilniiiac\'  'I'hcy  made  war,  tlicrc- 
forc.  w  liciii'vcr  they  nccilcd  sii|i|ih(s;  u  lnucvcr  cii|iiility  or  lainiiu^ 
tro'iilcd  the  nation,  or  aiiiliilion  stiiiiiilatrd  a  rnliiiu  i  liicl';  ; 
nadc  peace  \\heiie\er  a  siillicieiit  iiidiieeiiniit  was  tendered 
it   ee|itaiice 


nil 


I  II 


III  ll 


lev 


leir 


I  lite  on  w 


H'waresisted  lictweeii  the  whites,  they  I'onnht on  thi! 
hich  they  were  eiiijiloyed  ;   it  not.  they  assailed  either  side 


for  the  salu!  of  a  profitahle  treaty. 

Thev  no  loniicr  I'oiiyht  for  fame,  or  comjUest,  to  retrieve;  honor, 
or  rt'dress  w  roller;  "nd  the  military  virtues  that  isually  iUtend 
lhe.se  nolile  imiiulses  entirely  forsook  them  :  we  li.id  made  lliein 
liunditti;    and    they    made    war    to    iret    money,    rum,    f^uns,    and 


irmiiiowdi 
)1 


'The   |)eriiicioiis  system  of  Lfiviu'jj  them  reufidar  siip- 

h 


plies  III  arms,  ainiiiiinitinn.  elotlii'i:;,  and  provisions,  hecame  hriiily 
cstahlished,  and  drew  after  it  a  tr.ain  of  evil  conseipieiices ;  injury 
to  the  wliiti's,  and  misery  to  the  wretched  oiijects  of  tlieir  misplaced 
hountv.  Thev  hecame  llle  re<;iilar  l"llowels  oj"  the  caiiij)  ;  the 
pericMlical  visitants  and  heL;t;ars  at  the  ^,ites  of  forts  and  Iradiiii;- 
luiuses.     The  alms,  or  the  stipends,  tiiat  were  driven  them,  w  retched 


tl 


ev    Were,    were 


ullicieiit    to   destrov    their 


•If-d. 


eiieiKlence. 


Furnished  witli  arms  and  elolliinir,  they  hecame  less  provident; 
supplied  witii  munitions  of  war,  their  propensity  for  mischief  was 
(piirkened  hy  the  increased  means  of  its  jrratilication  ;  the  pa.ssioii 
(if  avarice  was  awakened,  and  h.ahits  of  extortion  wen?  cherished, 
hv  tlie  continual  e.vperieiice  of  their  power  to  enforce  the  |Kiyment 
of  triiiute. 

'I'iie  s\stem  of  inakin<4  presents  to  the  trihes,  and  eiili.stini^  lliein 
ill  our  ipiarrcls.  liad  as  it  was,  was  imiocenl  in  eompari.son  w  itii  tiie 
ahu.ses  that  uiiavoiilaMy  unw  out  of  it.  'i'lie  employ  nieiit  of  agents 
aei.'cssarily  atteudo.l  these  iieL?otiations,  and  the  persons  so  enLfa'^ed 


n 


TIIK  NORTH    AMKUICAN   INDIANS. 


;{:.!» 


wore  rx|)i)snl  to  iiMliiiii;il  tciinttritini.  -  to  act  corniiitly,  uliilc  they 
wore  exempt  iVoiii  tlir  iiiiliiiiirv  restraints,  ami  llic  usual  motives, 
wliii'li  insmv  tlic  fnlelity  nf  |inl>lir  t'lmetioiiaries.  'I'liev  acted  at 
distant  points,  heymid  tlie  reacli  nf  ihr  oliservatioii  of  tlieir  supe- 
riors, where  neither  instriiclioii  nor  reprooi'  coidd  otten  reach  llietu, 
and  where  much  was  necessarily  left  to  their  discretion.  'I'liey 
Avere  sent  to  an  illiteriite  people,  who  had  no  cliannel  Ihrouiih 
wiiich  to  report  their  miscondnct,  for  Ihev  were  themselves  the 
oniv  iMt>diuni  of  communication  U'tweeii  tlie  principals,  and  could 
easily  deceive  Iwth  parties;  and  the  oye  of  detection  could  not 
])enetrate  into  the  distant  wiMmn  -^s  that  formed  the  scene  of  their 
operations.  If  t'aithful,  tiiey  had  little  hope  of  heinii'  n-wanlcd  lor 
that  which  their  own  <roveriuneiit  did  not  know,  and  their  own 
peoph'  did  not  care  for;  and  they  hail,  therefore,  stron<.j  temptation 
to  make  their  emolunicnl  out  of  tin-  |)owtM'  and  tho  money  which 
thev  were  intrusted  to  wield.  'The  otlice  was  «)ne  which  ttMik  them 
from  the  social  circle,  from  the  relinements  of  life,  from  the 
restraints  of  law,  from  the  souuil  of  the  chur'h-iroini;  hell,  and 
which  olfereil  no  inducement  to  the  cnltivatod  and  mond  man,  and 
was  too  often  tilled  hv  men  of  the  coarsest  mould.  In  the  hack 
woods  they  could  peculate  or  intriirue,  oppress  and  extort,  with 
impunit\' ;  and  it  is  known  oid\' to  the  .Ml-seeinir  i')\e  how  often 
the  tomahawk  has  heen  raised  to  ifratily  the  li;id  passions  of  an 
at(ent,  to  feeil  his  avariie,  to  n^venjie  his  quarrel,  or  to  raise  his 
importjuice  hy  enai)lint?  him  to  l)eeomo  the  mediator  of  a  peace. 

The  traili!  with  the  Indians  has  always  heen  conducted  within 
their  own  horders,  as  well  under  the  Uritish  ifoverniuent  as  under 
that  of  the  I'nited  States.  In.stead  of  permiltiiiL''  and  induciii;,' 
them  to  trade  in  our  markets,  where  tht>y  woulil  reap  the  advan- 
t4i<j;es  of  competition,  wotdd  ac(|uire  just  notions  of  value,  would 
learn  the  use  of  money,  wituid  have  a  choice  of  the  articles  they 
mi<j;ht  desire  to  pinvha.se,  wonki  he  under  the  protection  of  our 
laws  and  our  puhlic  o|»inion,  and  woidd  imhihe  necessarily  some 


•M) 


AN    ESSAY    ON    TIIK    IIISIOUV    or 


l<ii(iu  li(lu:r  i>f  our  liinu'tiMo-c,  inslitiilioiis.  uinl  iirts  ;  tlu-v  li;ivt'  Imhmi 
ci)in|i('llr(|  to  ili-al  with  liccnscil  tr.nli'rs,  ;it  olisi-iiri'  |i(iiiits  in  tin- 
wil  Irriicss.  ruder  tlic  Hritisli  ^'ovcriiriK'iit.  tlu-  triiilr  lor  I'lirs  :iiii| 
pi'ltrirs  is  ill  tiic  IimikIs  of  two  LM'cat  (-oiii|i:iiii('s ;  iiiKluitliiii  our 
limits  il  is  coiKJiirtcd  liv  lirciisni  coiiiiiiiiiit's  iiiiil  iiuln  idirtls,  vvjio 
li:i\('  MioMopnlii's  of  this  v:dn;iliir   liraiirli  of  roiiiiiiiM't'i',  w  liirli   tlicv 


rarrv   o 


illioiit 


('niM|)i'titinii.   ami    witlioiit    aii\'    nstraiiit 


'I'll 


iiit('r(MMirsc  is  licld  in  tlic  alinriuniial   laiiunai^cs,  liv  iiu'aiis  oj'  intcr- 
pri'lcrs,  and  t\crv  art  is  used   to  j<('r|i  tiir   Indians  in  tlicir  nriniiial 


state    of   iiriioraiici 


to    I 


iirciiia'jc    tliciii    to   jicrscvcrr   in   llnii' 


linproxidi'iil  and  ciralir  lialiil.> 


'11 


ic  almscs  |Mr|iclriit('d  nndfrtliis 


llrv,   tlic    iirodiiil    (pf  a   whole    vrar's   hiiiitinir.  and    of  iiniiicnsc 


systiMii  arc  almost  iiicrcdihlv  enormous.  'I'hc  Indians  ass*Mnl>lc  at 
tli(>  tradinu:  post,  in  the  antnmn,  to  cxchanirc  the  skins  talu'ii  in  the 
past  si>ason,  for  the  arms  and  ammnnition  reipiired  for  the  eiisnintf 
year,  and  for  the  hiankets  and  otiicr  artii'les  necessary  tor  their 
snitjtort  diirinir  the  winter.      K<>r  several  iiiindrcd  dollars'  wortii  ot' 

I" 

dantrer.  exposure,  and  fati'_'ni'.  the  hunter  ijets  a  umi.  a  few  pounds 

of  powder,  a  knife,  a  lilankel.  and  soiiii'  trinkets,  and  then,  as  a 
gracious  present,  some  tin  ornaments  tor  the  arms  and  nose,  and  a 
little  sc;ii'let  cloth  and  cheap  calico,  to  make  a  dress  for  his  uifi — 
the  whole  not  wortli  a  leiilii.  pcrliaps  not  a  twentieth  part,  of  the 
articles  exloili'(l  from  tiie  wretclied  savairi'.  .Vnd  there  are  niiine- 
rons  well  authenticated  instances,  in  which  the  iinnter  lias  heeii 
rolilied.  while  in  a  state  ot  intoxication,  ot"  the  wjiole  prcMliice  of  his 


lal 


»  C.ll    .■^ 

I.IIMM 

111! 

riu^ors 

of  till 

\\  iiit( 

•r,  tin 

ex 

trem 

in  the 

Wild( 

rness. 

To 

these 

national   inj 

iirii 

s  ha 

and  p 

■rsona 

1,  hilt 

not  II 

SS    ! 

I'^f'jn 

our  ci 

ti/.eiis 

perpi 

tratei 

.  ill 

the 

from 

w  liich 

.  had 

they 

lice 

1     Sll 

'iviiig 

in  civili/,('( 

1  society, 

snrr 

1  out  liaic  and  destitute,  to  sutl'er,  dnriiiii  tiic 
e  of  t'amine,  or  to  perish   miseralily 

ve  lieeii  added  wroMijs  of  a  private 
ivatinu'  character.  Too  often  have 
deep  recesses  of  the  tiirest,  crimes. 
;r<^ested  to  the  same  persons  when 
(lumled  iiv  the  stroii'f  ivstraiiits  of 


n 


Tin;  NO  urn  vmkiu'vn  isdiws. 


atii 


law,  iiml  liy  llic  lull  l)l;i/.r  nf  a  iiiirc  piiMii'  npinidii,  tlicv  uoitlii 
liiivc  slinmk  willi  linrrur.  'I'lm  ut'icu  ins  tlir  trader  liccii  seen,  led 
oil  liy  till'  n\iriiiastcriii'_f  IhnI  li-r  iiinncN ,  \  iolatiiiK  «'vir\'  |iriiiri|ilt! 
of  liojinr.  Iraiii|iliiii.r  dii  llir  rilrs  uf  liiis|iitality,  rriiiliiiu;  asiiinlt'r  tlii' 
inoHt  Hurrtil  tiis,  and  lirt'iikiiiif  down  cvi'ry  itarricT  of  liood  failli,  to 
!ir('i)iii|)lisli  tlic  sordid  |iiir|ios('  of  a  lu  farioiis  trallii'.  'I'lic  alli'iMint^ 
story  ol'  liiklr  and  N'arico  is  no  liition.  It  has  in'cii  artrd  over  and 
t)vt'r  Mi;aiii  ill  oiir  forests,  with  cvcrv  viiriati  hi  of  inifiMiioiis  (•riiclty. 


It  is  no  nnlri'ijuiiil  oci'iirrfiii'i'  jcir  the  iidst  licaiitifiil,  ll 


llliilli'st 


irn  maid  o|  a  iinwcrlnl  trilir.  to  unc  iter  liaiid  in  inarria^c  to  si 


attrai'tivf  straii'-c 


yii'ldinir   ii|i 


I    her  atlci'tioiis  with    tliut    iniii 


line 
ilii'it 


conlidciirc.  that  all  alisorliinir  sclt'-drvotion.  vshicli  is  every  whero 
the  atlriltiite  of  woman  liii|)elled  liy  the  |iiirest  and  most  disiii- 
ti'rested   oj"  hiinian    |iassioiis,  she   sacrifiees.  for  tiiat    nameless   and 


lionseless  stranger,  e\er\'  tliiii!.r  tliat    natiin 


III!   eiisloiM    had    reii- 


dereil 


most    dear. 


o    |ileas<'    liis    taste,    she 


th 


rows    asHlc; 


tl 


10 


rraeefiil    ornaments   o|"   her   trilie,   and    assumes   tiit^   apparel   of  a 


toreiLMi    anil    detested     neopi 


ler    raven    loeks    are    no    Ioniser 


liraided    niion    lier   shoulders;    she    no    longer  eliases  the    deer,  or 


I'liii 


les   I 


icr   Imlit    eanoe   over   the   wave;    ;iiid    her  i 


larl' 


V  eve 


il: 


islies 


no   more   v.\ 


ih   th 


prill 


le  of  eoiiseioiis    heaiitv  as   the   warriors  ol 


her  nation  pass  liefore  her;  for  in  their  eyes  slio  is,  if  not  a 
dcLTaded,  an  alienated  i)eiii!f.  U'lt  still  siie  is  supremely  liappv, 
in  the  possession  of  that  one  oliji'et,  around  uhoni  all   her  atVeelioiis 


are   eiitwmeil 


in    tl 


ic    seeliision    o| 


otta'ii'.     in    tlie    elierrfld 


P' 


rformanee  of  evi'rv  domestic  d!it\',  in  advaminif  llie  interests  of 


lior  Imsiiand   In  eoneiiiatin-f  in   liis  favor  all   tlie  inlliienee  of  iier 


kindred,  and  the  lin'_rerinu:  alleetion 


.f  il 


ler  people,  and  III  proteetliiy 


iiiiii    from  daiiLrer  at    every   liazard,   her  days  exiiiliit   a   eon'.iniial 
Kerne  of  self-devotion,      ller  dream  of  iiappiness  is  soon  and  fatally 


dissohid.       ller  iiiislnnd    lias   aeeomplisiied    h 


lis   eominereiai    piir- 


po.ses,  and  she   is  abandoned  to  dis^iraee  and    poverty.      Altl 
llie  wliolo   slorv  of  her  alleetion    liiis  exiiiliiled    tliat    ioveline 
-tl] 


lollL'll 


•M2 


AN  i:ssAY  ii.\   riii:  iiisinuv  (ir 


I'liaiMitiT,  tliat  |iiiril\  siihI  intlilfiicss  (if  riiiiul.  wliicli  in  i-ivili^od 
s«cii't\'  niiM's  ;i  sii|iirinr  wnmiiii  iilmvc  licr  ^|l(•l■|(•>.  ;iiii!  i^ixes  Iut 
ail  nliiiiist  iiiiliitiili'd  iiillnciKi  wiilun  the  Nplun  nl  liir  attr.'ictidiis 
—  \i't,  sill  is  a  sa\;ii,'( — a  |iim)|-,  imlaiiiilil.  ileliidcd  liuliaii — and  >li»' 
is  iilKindnni'd.  In  lii'i' '(/•/// :if/ liii>liand,  uilhtlir  sanir  apatlri  willi 
wllirli  ;i  WDi'ii  niit  ilniiit'sMi'  animal  i^  luilicd  Iimisc  to  |i.'i'i?>li  dii  llii^ 
cnlMliion. 

As  an  cxanililr  nl'  the  class  nl    WI'iMIUS  In  X^lilcll    \\i-  now    iTlfi',   \\i' 

sliall  rrlalc  a  will  antlii'Mliialid  iih  idrnt.  llir  {liii'licidais  nt  vvliiili 
nia\  lio  liiniid  in  IIh  nili'iistint.'  ari'Miiit  n|  Lmii^'s  lirsl  (  \|ifdiii(iii 
til  tlic  K(»rk\  Mnniitaiiis.  \n  t  iitri|iris|i|.j  vnim'j  Iradrr.  w  Im  li:id 
istalili:-.|ird  liiinsi'ir.  !it  a  rriiH'lr  Indian  \illaifr,  mi  tlir  Missmiri, 
iiiari'ird  a  liraiilitiil  uiil,  tlic  daiislitci'  iil°  a  |ii)\M'i°t'iil  clii-'t'.  Ilf 
rdlisldrnd  tlir  ina>Tia<^i'  ;:  inattrl'  n|'  liiijiiiirss,  liis  sdir  iilijcrt  lH'il|i„f 
til    Sri  ni'r     tlir     |i|n  iil  inn     nl     tlii>    cllirj,    :uid     to    ad\llli(      Ills    (i\Mi 

intiiTsts  li\  LMiniiiu  ihr  riiiilidiiicT  (il  tlir  tnlic  Sill  I uti-nd  iiiln 
tlir  t'liL'aui'iiii'lit  ill  uiMid  lailli.  and  |ii'<ivi'd  liii'srll  a  most  iIi'MiIiiI 
«il"f.  assid.iiiiis  in  |iri>ini>tinu  llir  lia|i|iii;rss  nl  Inr  liiislcind,  and 
in  »'nntril>iilinj  In  liis  |irns|iiril\  — raillilnl  and  Mir-saciilirinu  as 
wiuiiali  I'Ml'  1^  wliil'r  licr  all'ii-liniis  ;ilr  llitiTislid.  Tlirv  li\rd 
ti'ijrlllrr  ill  li  iinnilN  tnr  srMial  \i'ais.  wlicn  tlir  tiadiT.  al'iint  Id 
|il'ii<'riii  nil  Ills  aillllial    \  Isit    tn    St      I  .nllls,  ;iniinuni'i'd.  nn    till'  ('\('  III' 

liis  d.'p'i.iiii'r,  Ills  iiiii'iitinii  III  r:ii'n  willi  liiiii  tlinr  nnU  i  luld.  a 
Imi\  i'I'  twn  Vrars  nid  Siir  liliinnstrii'i'd  :i;_'inist  lliis  |il'ii<-r<'i|||lU  — 
lint  lii>,  |ii'niiiisiim  In  irliirn  ami  liriii'.'  Iiaik  tin  iliild,  iltritrd  Ins 
r.  iarinlis  |iiir|MisiV  Sli-'  li:id  rnisiin  In  In  |li\c  lli;it  tin  sr|i:il';it|nn 
would    l)r   lilial  :    lull    willi    llli     ini|il|i'l1   nhrdli  n<  r  nl    all    llillllli   Will', 

silt' snliiniltrd.  iiiili!  tin  niniinnl  '>l  |rM'tiii'.'.  \^li<'n  Ini  <jni'l  lirianic 
n\irwln'liiiini.f — slic  ira/..'d  allir  llir  Imit  wlinli  was  ra|iidl\'  rarrv 
\\i<j  away  all  tliat  was  drar  In  liir.  \\^\\t  Innlir  snrrmv — llicii 
nisliinir  tiiadly  alnii'j  liir  slmri  .  |ii||i  \' nl  it  lirr  umIis.  nllrriiiir  llu- 
must  |iiriiin'j  laiiH  lit  itinns :  aid  w  In  n  it  w.is  nn  Impji-r  \!s:'ii|c, 
'illd    I't    sniind    nf    tlir    iiar  dli  i|    ll|inli    liii'    i':i|°,  slir    sank    lllinii    llu* 


THK    NOliril    A.MKKICAN    INDIANS. 


3(13 


//»- 


Ufroniul  in  a  stale  lnn-drriiiu;  'ipnii  insanity.  In  this  condition  s}io 
was  IduikI,  and  caiiicd  liorni'  In'  luT  I'ritMids.  For  da3-s  and  wl'cIvs 
s\[v  ri'Miaiiit'il  inconsolable,  and  only  recovered  a  tolerable  dt'ifrcc  of 
coni|M),snre  as  the  time  approached  when  her  luisband  had  promised 
to  r.'lin'n,  and  then,  hojie  sjirinuiiiir  np  in  her  ijosom,  ])ersnaded  lier 
liiat  lie  would  be  railhl'Ml  to  his  cnirairement.  lint  'he  time  arrived, 
and  passed  away,  and  the  perjured  while  man  cam(   jiot. 

In  tile  meitii  wlnlc  the  trader  hastened  to  St.  ]i(Miis,  to  I'uKil 
a  matrimonial  enijanement  with  a  lady,  who  way  to  eiijov  the 
wealth  acfpiired  cliietly  tliroui.di  the  iiilluence,  t  le  labors,  and 
the  (M'onomy  of  his  Inilian  wife,  lie  was  residintf  near  that  citv, 
with  his  Ix-autil'ul  bride,  in  an  elegant  residence,  when  the  deserti'd 
wife  and  heart-lirnki'ii  uinther  made  her  appearance  a'  liis  door,  and 
solicited  a  prnale  intei\iew.  Alone,  anil  on  t'oiit.  she  had  tr;i\ersed 
the  trackless  wilderness  {'or  several  hundred  miles,  siibsistinu;  on 
the  products  i>|'  the  Corest,  and  loduinti  without  any  shelter  but  the 
anopv  ol'  Heaven,  ami  she  stiHHJ  bejure  her  husband,  worn  out  and 
ainiost  fatninlied,  a  wretched  wnik  ol  her  former  sell'.  She  :iskcd, 
Mot  to  be  resliiied  to  favor,  not  In  sliari  the  weallli  >he  had  assist(  d 
tn  tuirnini;,  nor  even  fur  a  mnrscl  o|  bnail  to  revive  her  lamtiny 
iranin — btit  oiilv  for  her  I'luld  ;  and  was  sterulv  nluseil.  She 
beijijed  to  Im-  admitted  into  the  house  as  a  servant,  or  to  lie  allowed 
In  live  in  the  neinhlxirliood — to  be  .s\iUered  on  anv  terms  lu  remain 
near  ihe  sole  remaininif  objei  t  of  b<r  inve;  liul  ihis  \\,in  refused; 
and  she  was  coldiv  and  iirulallv  rejiuisi'il  Irmn  the  diini"  of  her 
husband  and  the  \'i»>\  that  >lieltireil  her  niilv  eliild.  She  was  the 
oUsiirimj:  of  a  hiyb-spiriti  d  people — she  was  a  wtmidii,  all  whose 
ri'jhts  had  been  ootrayed,  whose  holii'sl  aiVeetions  had  been  vio- 
late<l — and  the  snbmissiveness,  which  as  a  wif,  she  had  practised 
Willi  becominu  niei'kuess,  ci-ased  to  be  a  viriue  in  lii'r  estimation. 
She  It  liiirj  for  the  present,  coiieeaied  liersi'll'  ill  the  uri^hiiorinjj^ 
coverts,  and.  walehimr  her  opportunity,  iiite.ed  the  maii.sion  hy 
slcultli,  and  bo.c   iiwav    her  olVspriiiLr.      Ilvadiiiu:   imrsrit   with   all 


•Ml 

lllc  Mi-lilicr,  ; 

jnnnir\     low 

|i;iliirill.  ;ili<l 

il>'ll    nil    lirr 

mhIi  (i|    t  lie 

iiJl'IiI  I<>  :>  [>!> 

tlif  wii'tclifd 

jicrscM'iiiliri 

siiiiK  iiiiili'i'  1 

orniir  iinii\ , 

r;iriii>lu'il    \V( 

1 

tliiT,  ciiilftl  i 

AN  Kss  \  V  ON   riii:  HIS  I  (I  u  v  or 


111(1  III!  lllc  luiiriiuc  nl    her  lurc,  slic  rL'sliliicd   lui    Iciurlv 


;in 


Is  iIk    liniiliiiii-'jrnmiils  of  lit 


iialliiii. 


I 


iiii'j,   mill 


|u'iil<iiis.  \\;is  tliiil   |iiiinif\  ;   ln:iriiiL!    Inr  |trri'iiiii>   imr- 

slioiiMrrs,  siilisi>iiiiu    (III    nidls.  (Ill    v\ilil    hint,  iiikI   dii 

siii.illcr  :iiiiiii;il.s  as  she   cdiilil   riiti':i|i.  iiiiil   (-i'('('{iiii^  :it 

illi'l  ol'  IcaM's.  ill  aii\  liiicki't   that   cli  dici'   iiii::lil  ollir, 

I  iiidllicr  |iiirsiicij  licr  wcarv  ]iil!4riiiia'^c  w  illi  iiiKlaiiiilol 

and    li:i(l    IK  :iil\'   rcailicd    licr  dotiiialKni.  ulicii    nIic 


the  ctli  lis  d|  liiiiiLici"  ai.i 


I  (aim 


III'      Sdiiic  d|  llic  dlliccrs 


|iassiiii;'  tlin<iiij;li  the  wildcnii'ss,  luiiiid  die  si|iialid  am! 
iinii.  witli  iicr  stii\it;'j  diild,  iiiialilc  to  procciMJ  I'ln- 
I  llif  lair  ill  win  she  had  lliiowii  lii-rscir  to  dii' ;  and 
rcli(\iiid  hir  [ircsi'iit  ncifssitics,  carried  her  to  licr  iiati\(>  vilhiifc, 
wiicre  sill  jii'dlialih  still  resides,  a  li\iii2  uiliiess  ol  the  iiielioratiiiii 
ctVects  dl  ( 'liris'.niiil  \  and  ci\  lii/atidii  ii|i(iii  the  hiiiiiaii  liea't,  and 
(•sneciallv    npoii  the  ddMiestic  \irtnes. 

Mnriiid  the  re\(ilulidiiarv  \^ar.  (ii'<at  iintain  ado|ile(i  the  saii- 
^ninar\  |idlic\  ol  inciliiii:  the  Indian  triiies  to  lake  up  the  liatcliet 
ad^aiiisl  tlie  < 'oldiiies — a  |id|ic\  lin  iiidic  cr'iniiial  on  her  part,  as 
we  relllsed  Id  e!ii|i|d\  the  sa\ati(s.  and  Used  our  intlilence  Id  mdiice 
them  Id  remain  miitral,  until  ue  weri'  coiniielled,  .n  seir-dereiiee, 
Id  ciiU'iU'''  some  ol  t!ie  Irilies  in  our  service,  'i'liey  'idv*  mado  war 
as  the  nierceiiarv  auxiliaries  of  a  iMiwcrrnl  nation;  and  while  their 
liati\c  lei'dcitv  was  iiicrease(|  In  the  hd|ie  olri'ward.  the  aii<i|)iitliie.s 
ol  llic  \iuerii  ails  adaiiisl  tlieiil  were  'jrealh  ciih;iiiced,  as  they  who 
an  hii'cil  ti>  liulit  in  the  i|uaircl  ol'  aiidtlier  alwa\s  excite  nidn 
aversion  than  the  princiiial  |kuI\  who  makes  liattle  in  iiis  own 
ciiiiM'.  K.missaries  were  now  jilaulcd  aloipj  the  whole  rninlier,  the 
I'lticfK  <>(rutled  in  scarlet  coats,  and  Itritish  u;old  and  niilitar\  titles 
Vtl'fv  li«  lulled  aiiidii.j-  the  trihes.  'Che  lew  restiMliits  tli.il  |irildencii 
:uiil  deeelicv  had  le  f  lolore  slljfifested.  were  lld\\  Idrjiitti  li  ;  lUlli 
Mits  dealt  dill  withoul  i>(iMt  llie  (jesolatiiiui  work  ol  lli<  Idiiialiawk 
uti'I    the    firelirani!    went    Icvanl    with    renewed    \  iuor    iindei'   the 


riii;  Noinii  a.mkhican  indiws. 


ih\r, 


Ititroiiiiir,.  ,,r  tlir  I  )rr<  11(1. r  nf  llic  I'aitli,  ami  new  laurels  uiri! 
aililcil  ti)  liic  IJniisli  wrcatii  li\  llic  iiiiiliiiL:lit  iiirciiiliaiv ,  l)\  llicf 
|)liimicr  III'  an  iiiianiicil  pr  i>anti\ ,  ;iiiil  llir  iiiiinlfr  nf  uoiiitii  and 
I'liililrrn.  It  was  no  lonucr  tlionirlit  U'.'c('ssar\  to  imulcato  tin- 
ohscrvariic  of  Imniaiiilx ,  or  anv  ("hrislian  \irtiic,  and  tlir  laus  ot" 
war  wire  sns|)(iidcd  lor  tlii'  orcasion.  'I'lic  saxairr  aiiinlilc  liir 
Mood  was  sliiirpi'Mcd  l)\  arll'iil  drviccs;  and  thrrc  an  instam-cs  on 
ncord,  in  w  liirli  lln'jiivli  nnissarii's  prrsiil.d  at  llir  torturin^i  of 
[irisoncrs,  and  ri\allic|  their  red  allies  in  tiie  donmnia.'  arts  oi 
Miiiieancc.  'I'lie  Indians  wen-  now  literally  Inrned  loose,  and 
s\sleinatic  exertions  were  nsed  to  awaken  tlieir  jialoiisv  and  liatred 
a</ainst  tlie  colonists.  'I'lic  success  dl'  these  intriirncs  is  w  rittcii  in 
characters  (>t  IiKhmI  iu  the  historx  ol  our  struuijle  tiir  inileiiendencp. 
'•!i  all'cclino;  and  conclnsixe  diustration  ol'  the  truth  of  these 
remarks  may  lie  found  in  the  life  of  .losepli  llrant.  the  celelirated 
Mohawk  (ddcf  recentiv  puhlished.  possessed  ol  slrouLT  natural 
iltdilK  s.  and  sent  in  early  life  to  a  schoul  in  \eu  Kniiland,  In; 
|uofiii(|  l)\  iiiese  advantaiji's  so  tar  as  to  nhtain  a  tolei'alile  lluiilisii 
education,  and  to  endiracc.  with  nnich  outu:u'd  /eal,  the  Christiiui 
relioion.  'I'lie  Mohawks,  who  then  resided  in  the  western  part  ol 
.New  York,  had  always  lived  in  anutv  with  the  settlers,  and  on 
llie  l)reakin<r  out  of  the  American  Uevolulioii,  their  mos«  natural 
piihcy  would  have  heen  to  take  part  with  the  colonists,  who  had 
lieen  their  triends  and  neis^hlioi's,  or  to  i.'i\e  r;  i.,;one  I  neutral. 
The  lath-r  was  ihe  course  stroutilv  ur,;eil  iipnn  them  li\  the 
eolnnists,  who  deprecated  the  horrors  ol"  hulian  warfare,  and 
were  imwillintr  to  indict,  even  on  tiieir  cnenMcs,  the  dreadlul 
e\ils  attendant  upon  a  sanouinar\'  cede  of  hostdiU.  'I'lieir 
hnmaiK^  counsels  were  alike  disveuarded  h\  the  Hritish  and  the 
Indians;  and  the  Mohawks,  with  the  rest  ol'  the  Si\  NaiKins, 
hecanie  the  alliis  of  the  crown.  llrant  was  the  v\ar  ciuef  <<( 
that,  noted  .  onfcderai-v .  and  w  ;is  emplovcd  chielh  m  liaraN>Mi'^r 
our  frontier  settlcmeiils — m   hurninij  thi'  dwclliuas,  and    K  -nlutint; 


S6rt 


AN    KSSAY    (IN     llIK    IIISTOUV   (IK 


the  i: 


inns,  II 


r   liis  rtirmcr  luiLililiors — in   pillji'fin'f  nnd    iiinidcriiiv' 


ti  (li'l't'iK'clcss  people,  witli  wlioin  liis  own  lul lowers  liad  been  livinif 
on   frienillN   Innis,  :inil    witli  uliuni   lliey  li.nl   nou'  no  (piarrel.      In 


sranch  :iii  msliun  c  do  we  liiul  hitn  leiidinLf  Ins  wiirriors  ii^iiinsl 
tlie  Aniei'ieaii  armies,  or  eni:aLreiI  in  tliat  letritiinute  vvarfaro  wliieli 
is  alone  i-onvidered  iii>lilialtle  In'tween  civilized  nations,  or  lionor- 
alile  1o  those  eiitia'^ed  in  it.  He  seems  not  to  have  eoveted  tiie 
jj[Iorv  wliieli  is  won  on  tlie  l)attle-('ield.  lie  ravamil  the  lieh's  and 
hlirned  liie  dxNcllinifs  ol  our  people;  he  stole  lljion  them  in  the 
defeneeless  honr  of  the  ni<.dit,  an<l  slaii<>htereil  men,  women,  and 
ehildren,  o;  earried  them  into  a  eapti"  ;i\  -xorse  than  death.  Those 
helpless  lieinirs,  who  in  eivili/.ecl  warfare  are  never  considered  the 
jtroper  snhjects  of  hostility,  were  marched,  in  mid-winter,  throni,di 
the  sn<n\ ,  ila\  alter  da\  .  to  lie  deli\ereil  o\er  as  prisoners  o|'  war,  al 
a  I^ritish  uarrison.  lie  carried  the  horrors  of  \\;ir  to  the  lire>ide 
aiul  the  altar,  Itnrned  ehnr  Ins  and  i^ranario,  and  [iractised  all  the 
cruelties  of  savatfe  warfari'. 

\\'e   are   aware   that    (he    hiotirapher  of   Mrant,  while    he  dctads 


these  atroeiln 


W  III) 


Ih 


jiainful  miniiteni'SN.  endeavors  to  e.xonerate 
that  Iciidt  r  from  the  eliariic  ol  per.soii:d  cni(lt\.  We  ha\e  n<ithini^' 
to  do  \v  ith  llirve  nice  distini'tioiis :  the  leader  is  aecoiintalile  for  the 
deeds  of  his  j'ollow ers,  e.> pecially  for  such  as  are  transacted  nndei' 
Ids  immedi.'ite  notice,  and  within  the  sphere  of  his  per>onal  com- 
inaiid       iliii'ianii;.   >hiidileis  at    the   recital  tif  the  enorlMitie.^   jirac- 


1i:-i'(l.  thro'.iiflioni  a  .serio  o|  \ears,  iiiion  the  Ironiicrs  o 


f  New   ^(.rk 


liy  till'  liidi:nis  and  lories,  leil  li\  Sir  ( J n\  .lohn>|on.  the  Miiilers, 
and  Hranl  :  and  the  odium  nf  lho.se  deeds  of  IiIihiiI  will  roi.  nut 
upon  th(    w  retihed  incendiaries  :ind   ninrderers,  who.se  hands  were 

iinhr 1   in   the  lilood  of  a    peaceahle   and    nnoHendinur   peasaiitrs, 

Init  ii|Min  those  who  planned  and  I'ondiicled  these  nefarions  expe- 
ditions      'I'hi'   apolo<_rv   attempti'd   to   he   set    up   for  the   marindim; 


rhiels — that    thev 


not 


»lraiii    I  heir    liillowers — proves 


too 


much;   for  it    points  out,  in   the  stroni:es'    liiihl,  the  wickedness  of 


r 


1  (ir.    N(»!!  Ill    A  \i  i:i!  IC  \N    INDIANS. 


(•iii|ili>yiii'j:  •ill  ■'<  inslrmiiriils,  i.ikI  Iciidiii:;  tlicm  u|iiiii  siicli  ciitcr- 
|iriscs.  'riicisf  uhoari'  Jiciniiiiiitt'd  willi  llir  niilitiirv  lialiils  ol  tlm 
liiili  iiiN,  llic  laiitiini  willi  \\liiili  tlicir  cxiirililii.iis  arc  |ilaiiiin!,  tlic 
cvacl  ilis(i|iliiif  uliiih  is  nhscrvi'd  l>\  a  \  ar  |iar1\',  ami  tlic    iinjilicit 


olM'diciifc  of  llic  wan 


io.'s.  \\  ill    klinvi 


w  \i>   oliiiiatf   tins   cxi'iisc 


'riic  tnitli  is,  lliat  wiiilc  tlir  nuiiiliy  SI  ill'  red  iiidisrrilial)l\  riniii 
tlicsc  inliiiiiiaii  and  iiii|Mi|itii'  iiii'iii'siuns,  tlir  Indian  nnnd  was 
cxritfd,  i'\as|»('ratri!,  and  drlias.il  i)\  tlicin,  and  tin)  unliajniy 
liii'iih  lilt u tell  the  t\Mi  iMi'cs  \\as<jriatU    widrnrd. 

\\  (•  lia\c  scrii  tli:il.  Iioni  llir  liisl  srttlihL;  ot"  the  wliitt's  in 
Anitfica,  tlirrc  have  lirrii,  tidiii  one  I'aiisi'  tir  anndicr,  conlinnal 
dis|>nt('s  liclwccn  them  and  the  savaiff  tniiis,  w  lijrli  liavc  iriMii 
rise  tn  tVr(|ii('iit  and  dcstrin'li\(>  wars.  All  the  liuril'r  scttlnmnts 
111  1)111'  niiinlrv  lia\c  lirm  cNiiuM-d  to  |>rcdat(ii\  iiiriirsKins,  and  au 
nns|tarinii  uailarr,  ami  a  [Mridiar  class  nl'  our  |iii|iiilati(in  liavf 
licrn  raised  np,  wlin  liavc  iii'i'U|>ii'd  a  |ir(iniinrnt  |ii>s'.tiiin  in  riiian! 
til  tlir  inti-mmrsc  witli  tiic  Indians,  ami  dune  iiiin'li  In  inndilN  its 
eharaeier.  We  allii  le  to  tlie  Ixd  kinxiilsmcn.  wlm  liave  ne(n|iird 
the  iViinti'rs  III'  innst  uf  ilie   States,  al'liiiiitili    iIun   lia\e    lie.n   mosl 


iniiiiei'iiiis  ami   riins|iii'ii(>iis   in 


tlie    W.-l         1) 


welliiiL;  iVcni    L'-niia- 


tinii  III  ijtnrraliiin  nn  llie  iViintiei'.  lar  linin  tin'  marts  nl  I'uininiri'e, 
and  rrmn  llie  nmrr  enliulilemd  |iiirtiiins  nl  siuietv ,  tlie\  ai'i|nii°eil  a 
(listinet  and  struntily  marked  eliaraeter.  'I'liey  were  nnininallv 
rariners,  lint  were  ratlnr  a  pastural  than  an  aurienlt'iral  [ien|ile, 
(lepeiidinii  lnr  liind  imiie  n|iiin  tlieir  cattle  and  Iiul's,  lliat  ran  at 
larye  in  the  wnnds,  than  n|iiin  the  |iii»iii ■■(•  nl    ihc  snii       'I' 


ii\    vM  ri' 


hunt 


crs   and  warrinis,  r»l\iiiy    mi    the   chase  lnr  a    l.iii^e    |iiirlinn  nl 


their  sul  .istence,  and  hearinu  arms  cnntiiiiiall\ ,  tn  |iriitect  their 
mamiiiir  herds  rmm  the  marandinu  fndian,  their  i!\\ellinL.'s  and 
Itariis   rrmn   cmilla^ratinn,  and   their  ui\es  ami   children   linin   the 


tniiiih  lU  k 


11; 


IV  lie. 


mi    cmnnierce.   and    scnceU'   an\    iiiti  rcmirse 


with  stranijers,  destitiile  n|'  all  the   Inviirns,  aiii|  of  mans  nl'  u  hat 
>\o  esteem   the    necessaries  nl"  llie,  their  wants  were  lew,  and    tin  ii 


lis 


AN    KSSAY   ON     Tlir.    IIISTOltV    OK 


liiiliiis  smijilf,  'I'll .v  dwelt  ill  ln!4-t':il)iiis  iinistnictril  1)\  tlictii- 
scIm's,  \\  i'.li  si';iiitI\  iiii\  utiici'  tnuls  tli;iii  ihc  ii\c  iiiiil  liic  iiiijirr  ; 
:iiiil  tlicir  fiiriiiliiic  vmis,  t'or  lli'/  most  |i;iil,  of  tlirir  i>\mi  raliricatioii. 
'i'lirir  I'inilc  III'  lil'i'  iiiilui'cil  iii(lr|ii'nilriici'  of  llioiiL'lit,  iiiid  liuliits  dl' 
si'll'-rrliMiirc  ;  liir,  as  llirrcwas  Itiit  imr  class,  ami  (me  (icni|iatiiiii. 
•ill  were  cinial,  ami  carli  was  tlirnwii  n|)oii  Iiis  dwii  ri'Sdiircts. 
'I'lnv  liail  mmr  nf  tlir  lirl|is  lli;,t  \w  riijnv  in  rt'linrd  societies,  from 
till'  \aiirty  III'  iimrcssioiis  ami  trailis,  wliicli  adiiiiiiistti"  tn  all  .mr 
waiit>.  '11111  nlicM'  \is  Irniii  tip'  luccssitN'  nl  cMTtiiiLr  our  own 
inifcnnitw  and  |)livsical  sliTniitii,  i  \ri|it  in  tlic  sintdr  diriition  in 
wliicli  we  cliooM'  to  ini|iloy  tlirni. 

'I'lirv  were  a  smiiil  and  lios|iitaiili'  |iiii|ilc  ;  linixc,  licncrons.  and 
]i:i1iiiilic ;  |iiior,  lint  nut  sordid;  lalmrioiis,  Iml  not  iVniral.  i^'roin 
caiK  inliinix  tlir\  were  accnstonied  to  tlie  lia\  int' of  the  wolf,  uml 
llie  \ill  I'l  the  Indian:  and  associatini.''  IIum'  sonnds  as  franudit 
ahke  willi  treacliery  and  danijf,  tliey  learned  to  distinunisli  in 
eai'li  till-  Muee  of  a  tiie  'I'lie  tales  that  tirst  awakened  tlie  aliention 
of  cliildliiiiid  were  ol'  tlie  |iainted  savage,  cieeiiinii  with  tlie  stealtliv 
(lead  111  the  pailtller,  niioll  the  slee|)ili'_'  iiiiiiates  of  tin  ciihili — of 
the  niidiii'jht  eoiillaifraliiiii,  liijliliiiii'  ii|i.  with  its  horrid  ylare,  the 
LdiMiiii  111  the  surionmliiiij  forest — of  hleidiim  scalps,  lorn  Ironi  tlie 
heads  ol'  i;ra\  haired  old  men,  o!"  infants,  and  of  wmiien — of  niotlurN 
and  children  carried  awav  into  ca|iti\il\ — and  of  the  di'eadlnl 
scenes  111  torture  at  the  stake  The  tales  of  the  Veteran  warrior — 
the  ad\iiitiires  that  aliimst  e\ir\  \enei;il)|e  iiiatrnii  cimiM  relate 
from    her   own    e\|ieiience — the    esc;i|ies   oj    Ihe    lninter    fioiii    the 

saxaye    amhnscade  —  the    stirrintj:    incidents    of    the     liattli the 

strateirv  of  iMirder  warfare — the  sudden  return  of  lonijdosl  frii'ieU 
— and  the  recital  of  the  prisnner  delivered  fnuii  eapti\it\ — these 
fmiiii  d  the  leijendary  topics  of  lie  liorder,  and  iiiniilded  the  minds 
and    till-    pii  jiidiics  of  till'    peiipl 


■|'l 


ie\    L!i'ew'   np    111   (Ueail    anil 


loathini!  ol   the  wnlf.  the    p;inllier.  the   rattlesnake,  and   the  Indian: 


reijanl 


iiiL'  tliein   as   foes  alike   nilhiess  and  iiisidiniis.  who  wa\ 


laid 


Til  i:    No  HI' II    AM  i:i{|(  AN    IN  hi  \  NS. 


;!<;:) 


tlii'ir  |iulli.  ;iiii|  >ln|i'  M|iiiii  tlinii  in  tin-  Imui'  ol'  >lrr|p  So  i\t(iisi\i' 
unci  sncri'>st'nl  li:iil  litrn  tlw  ini'niMims  nj'  tiir  Imliiins,  ilmt  tlicrc 
was  scare  riy  a  mi^'lilxn-lionil  llial  liad  mil  its  liattli  liclil,  m-  its  nidf 
scpiilrlirc  of  (li'piirlcd  valor,  nor  a  t'aniiU  w  liirli  liail  mil  it^  talc  of 
sorrow,  ri'latinij;  to  some  iicciiliar  and  nirlaiicliiiU  licriaMMitnt  liv 
tin"  iiand  ol  ihc  savaLic  \i\  s(  cuainorcd  ucri'  liior  iicniilc  of 
tlicir  N\  l\  an  iili'.  rn\  irnncd  as  it  uas\\illi  inijUKtiuli'  and  daiiurr, 
tliat,  as  the  natnrs  n'l'idtd  I'artlii'r  ami  lartlur  tu  the  wi^t,  tlir\ 
|iiirsrnd  llicir  rniit.-,'n.'|).-.,  i-aticr  In  possess  tin-  mw  land>.  and  tlu' 
Ircsli  pastiiiTs  tlicy  liad  lorsakcn.  and  rcirardlrss  of  daniirrs  In 
wliirli  llit'V  were  ai'ciisloinnl.  Urrd  iVoin  generation  to  ucneratiou 
in  the  forest.  |lie\  uere  as  e\pert  a^  the  Indian,  in  all  the  arts  ol' 
tlie  iiiinter.  and  all  the  deviies  ol'savaLli'  hliv  Like  hini  lhe\  eould 
sleer  their  \\a\  with  iinerriii;^  skill  tJiroiiMh  the  traekless  t'orest, 
eould  lind  and  prepare  tin  ir  ovni  IikkI.  and  dejeiid  theliiseUes 
aijailisl  tile  \  ieissltlldes  of  ihi"  Weather.  (oiiipellcd  at  first  iiv 
their  necessities  to  derive  i  snhsistence  jroni  llie  spontaneous 
wcaltli  of  naliire.  tiie\-  leariieil  to  seek  with  sivill  and  asviddilN  all 
the  products  of  the  wilderness,  ihe  llesh  of  the  liuilalo  ;iii(!  llic 
deer,  the  skin  of  the  lieaxir.  and  the  iiiltrilloiis  hoard  ol'  tlie  iiee, 
ami  liecailie  so  ;iddli'ted  to  these  pursuits  as  to  preler  t  In  iii  toliie 
IjiImii's  of  hiisliaiidiv .  AcipiiriiiLi  hardihoiKl  and  coiiraL;c  In  tliise 
lliaillv  evercises.  the\  hecaiile  a  niaitial  peojile,  eiiterprisiiiL;  and 
fearless,  careless  ol  exposure.  e\|iert  in  Imrs.  niaiishi|).  and  trained 
to  the  Use  of  arms  In  their  loici  hiinliiiL;  i  \peditions  tlie\'  peiic- 
trated  into  the  Indian  coiiiitry.  and  made  reprisals  for  the  depreda- 
tions of  the  sa\aites;  and  in  retaliation  for  tin;  hostilities  of  the 
red  men.  tlii'v  oriiaui/ed  parties,  and  pursued  them  liv  lahnnous 
niarchi's  to  their  liislant  viliaun's  It  will  lie  readily  seen  that  the 
lialred  lietwecii  these  jiarlies,  handed  down  Irom  Lather  to  son.  and 
iillamed  1p\  coiitinual  .iif'jrressioiis,  would  he  mutual.  deadU,  and 
irrocohcilahle. 

Uotwecii    parties  tlius   mutually    lio.stile,   there    wmild    ari.s<',   iiii 

47 


870 


AN    I;SS  \V    (IN     I'lIK    IIISIOU  V    (IT 


nvdidililv.  iiiaiiv  nrcuNidiis  (if  olVcnrc,  vsliii-li  no  |ini<li'iirc  ii<ir  fur*'- 
sii;lit  (III  till'  |i;ii'l  )>r  till'  <  invrriiiiii'iil  rmilil  |ii'i'\i'iit  Iviiul  ami 
llirliriinii'^   a>  iiiir  ( idvcnimriil  u:i>  in  nxcildnlsiiii.'  jiast  air'_rrrssiiiiis, 


ami  lilii'i'.'il  a>  tlii'\    witc   hi   all   tin- ilcaliiius  svitli   tlu'  till 


It  wa^ 


iiii|i(i>>liili    to   sMiillir   till'   >|iii'it  III    I'l'M'iiL'r  i(ii|ilaiil('i|  in  tlir  Navaj^t) 


in 'as 


t    1 


i\   a 


IdllL''    M' 


llrs  111'   war  and    fiiili'arliiiU'llts. 


Il.sll 


rss  ami 


arlikr   in    llirir  lialnts.  the   imiiiii  iiiciils  In  jiracr  riiiili!  iirvcr  li 


«triiiii;l\ 


ll 


\    ini|iri'Nsri|    nil    Ilirir    iiiimls.    am!    wIhii 


111 


|iii»|ii'('t    (i| 


ililiid 


cr  was  ailijrcl  1(1  tile  liisl  jiii'  riM'iiU"'.  till'  trni|itali(iii  u"iis  so 
strniiL;  as  In  (iMrcnnn'  all  |iriiilriilial  innlnis  IIm'Ii  wIuii  the 
tiilics  as  JMMlii's  wirr  liirmlK .  ami  llnir  IimiIcis  (lis|i(isiMl  tci  inaiit- 
tain  licai'C,  tlnrr  wrrr    Inosc   ami  Mrinlls    imllMillials,  wlin,  strnllillir 


.iV 


iimlrr 


Ih 


'tniir  (if  liiititiiiir.  vviiiiM    fni-in   small   Itaiids,  anil 


aiiii(i\   ihi'  .-Ncttli'iiitnls   liv  sicalinu:  Imiso.  ni'  killinu^   tlic  cattlr  and 


lintfs  llial  niaiiicd  in   the  un 


"^ninttiinrs  tliisr   [iiivatc  wars,  if 


We  ina\   iiialvr  llic  disliiictinn,  wcit  ranicd  liirllicr;  a  Ikhisc  vmhiM 


hr  I 


Mininl.  a 


t'ainil 


V  innnli'n 


d, 


iml  a  wliojr  iii'|ijlilini°liiini|   alariiii'i 


Till'  liordiTcrs  wciT   ni>t   slow  In   rclalialc.      I  piiii   tlir   |i(r|M'lratii>n 
of  sii'li   an   onlraiff,  a   pailv    wniil 


lie    I'uiii'i' 


\vitli    wiiiidri-rnl 

I'i'Icrilv.  and  tlic  d('|in'datnrs  liciiiix  |inrsiii'd,  wcir  dltcn  nvfrlakrn, 
and  a  |i:irt  il  nnt  all  i>\  liii'in  shin.  I'assinn  .s  luNrr  |iisl,  ami 
rrvcii'^o  is  lint  sirn|iiiliiiis  as  In  the  inca--inr  nt'  tin-  ntiiltntinn 
it  t'xat'ls.  I'ai'lics  rii'.aircd  in  piiisiiinti  inarandtis  wcif  nnl 
iilways  salislicd  witli  |iniiisliiiiu;  tlic  unilty,  lint,  in  tlir  liial  nf 
]iassinn.   attacked   nilicr   Imlians   wliniii    llii'\    an  ulnitidU    im  t.   m 


(li^siin\('d    till'   \illa<j<'s  <>r  nnolli'iidiny    tri! 


I'nrni'lnnati'lv,    it 


v.as  dilHi-iill  In  disi'riiniintc  in  casts  .ij  tins  kind.  Inr  lli<  Indians 
were  so  licklc,  ami  tlnir  \in|:iliniis  ol  ilini-  rii^^a'^i'incnls  so  lic- 
i|iii'nt   and   siiddcn,  tliat    llic  w  liilcs.  Ii\  im_'   in   cnntinnal   a|i|ii'('lirn- 


sion 


iml    III 


III.' 
Ind 


cniistant    r\|M'rii'iici'  of  tlir   irntalili'   and    Imslili- 
lan    mind.   \m  i'c.  in    most    cases,  niialilc   to  dcciilc 


Mate    n|    ll 

\\  Ik  tlii'f  an   auiii'i'ssinn  cnmmillcd  u  as  die    icii.l   a   lau'liss  li'w  ,  nr 

tlio  assault  nl' a  uar  |iai  I  \ ,  and  llic  Inrcinniici'  nl  a  !i|nod\   uar. 


TlIK   Noinil    Wir.ltHVN    INDIANS. 


Ml 


Till'  Imlians,  on  llic  *A\ttr  liaml,  vvi'H'  siiIiJimM  In  a  vorv  snions 
^'ri(;v!iii('i>.  Sn)).si>iiii^  riitii'i'lv  In  liimtinLr,  tlir  '^atiii'  in  tliiir 
fon^HtN  is  as  valiialilr  In  lliriii  as  iitir  laltlc  arc  tn  iis,  and  tliry 
I'otisidtT  llii'iiisflvt's  as  |)iiss(>ssiiiir  a  |)ri>|)frtv  in  tlicir  liiinlin^- 
y^ri»uin!s,  wliicli  llicv  riKanl  \miIi  i;ii:it  jraloiisv.  Scmtc  1:i\ns 
wen-  passed  hv  ( 'nntfcrss  In  |irnli'(l  llic  n  in  tlirsc  ri'_dits,  and 
forliiddinii  onr  |ifn|i|('  iVuni  ti'rs|ias>ini;  n|ii>n  tin-  Imlian  Ininlint;- 
uroinnU;  yet  nnr  liunttTs  unidd  nt'ii-n  |)ass  inlc  tlic  Indian 
niniilry,  and  drslioy  vasi  ipiantilics  cif  iranic.  I'lic  inaclicc  nf 
iiiinliiii;  upon  tlit'ir  lanils  uriw  intn  a  nion^lions  alinsc ;  llmusands 
(if  wild  animals,  I'lnni  whii'h  tlii-y  diiiMd  tlicir  solf  snlisistrniT, 
wcri'  annnally  dcslrciyt-d  liy  lli«'  wliilcs.  Maii\-  purls  oj'  tlic 
couiilry  vvliirli  al)onuiird  in  Kanic,  at  llii'  fonilnsion  nl"  \\)r  if',  mral 
pmwc  ill  170.'),  soon  Iwranit'  InlalU  dcslilntr  'I'lir  sittlcrs  mi  tlic 
iicitflihnrini,'  tVniiticr  were  in  llic  lialut  nt'  passinif  into  tlic  Indian 
tcrriliiry  every  antnnin,  In  kill  hear,  <leer.  and  Imllalncs,  nierelv  iiir 
llic  skins,  hv  wliieli  means  tliesc  aiiiniaN,  parlieidarly  tlie  latter, 
were  in  snnie  places  liecnmc  alinnst  extinct. 

It  is  yratllv  illii  tn  nliserve,  III  llie  ver\  tirst  npcralinlis  (<[  niir  «.u  n 
( insernmenl,  a  spirit  nl  iiinderatinii  Inwards  ,iur  sa\aL.'e  iieiLilihnrs. 
\\  licll  we  eailic  tn  take  pn>sessinn  nj"  niir  natiniial  llcntaLTe  I'nr 
wliicli  We  had  tnii!„'hl,  we  tniind  it  eiiciiiiip;issed  with  enemies. 
The  snnlhcrn  and  western  trihes  were  m-ncrallv  Imstilc.  On  the 
Iwrders  of  rcnnsylvania,  \  ir^inia,  and  \nrth  (arnlina,  the  tniiia- 
h:i\vk  was  hiisy,  and  the  Imests  nt"  Kcnliicky  and  Tennessee  pri-- 
senled  a  vast  scene  nt  caniaiic.  Had  niir  rulers  heeii  animated 
hv  the  same  "jraspinu  and  nnscriipiilniis  pnlic\.  which  seems  tn 
hav(!  Iifcn  pursued  hv  all  other  nalinns  in  their  dealiiiij[s  w  itii  tiic 
lieatlicii,  ii  fair  nppnrlunity  was  nllcrcd  I'nr  its  exercise.  The 
pinneers  were  alreah  siistainiiiLj  thcinsehes  wilh  credit  mi  nnr 
woteni  Itnrdcrs,  and,  witli  a  little  eiicmna^cineut  t'mm  the  (in\ern- 
ineiil.  wniiid  lia\c  extirpated  ;ill  the  tlli)es  w  im  nppiiMcj  their 
prniJ[ress.        I')liip|n\  inenl     llli^ht     iia\e    hecn    yivell    In    the    trnnps. 


a72 


AN    KSS  \V    (»\     rilK    Ills  jOUV    «»|" 


\\liirli  ('iiiiiinj.s  liiiiiiil   it   iictcsNiirv  l<>  (liNltaiiil ;  iiiid   the  \ctt'raiiH 

U'llii  ll.nl  ftMI'^Ilt  lnl-  iMi|r|li'l|i|i'lli'i'  Mliullt  llMM'  llt'l'll  lew  ill'ilcd  W  it!) 
lllf    ImIIiIs  III'    iilir  t'lHIIlil'S         Hill     llic     Ul'rllt     lllrll    wlltl    tili'M    SWIIVi'd 

mil'  I'liiiin  lis  iliMlaiiinl  tin-  |ialti'y  Mpii'it  ol  irviii'jr.  ami  uirr  tno 
ii|ii'iulil  III  I'liiiiniil  ail  ai't  wliirii  wiiiilil  |ia\i  lircn  iiii>i"ill\  wi'diiu. 
'I'lirv  kiirw  til  it  till'  iiiiiiaiis  hail  liri'h  aliiisiil  aiiil  iniNlril.  In 
till  saiiir  |iii\M-i'  v\  liH'li  liail  ti°aiii|il('il  lUi  iiiirnwii  ri<:lits,  iiiiil  liail 
atliiltrrati  il  mir  Iti-st  iiistitiitiniis  liv  an  ailiiiivtiirr  nl  rurri<_rii  ami 
|M'i'iiii'i<iii>  |ii'iiii'i|ilr<< ;  aiiil  tlir\'  lirti'i'iiiiiii'il  In  liii-ijrt  all  tlic  ai^' 
iri'CMMitills  I'l  tlial  lilil|:i|i|i\  rail',  tn  will  tliilii  tii  ll'lili' l'<lii|i  llV 
l\lllillir>s,  anil  til  r\li'llil  III  tlirlii  llii'  liiMi'al  aiiij  rl\ll  lilrssjuMs 
wlili'li  liail  Imi'II  |iiii'r|iast'i|  |i\  iiiil'i>v\li  rliiaiiri|iatiiili.  I'l'r>ii|rllt 
W  asliiiii^tiiii  I't-riiiiiiiiriiili'il  llic  liiiliaiis  In  tlir  |iati'iiial  rarr  ol' 
(  iiiiLiri'ss,  jiihI  all  Ills  Mim'SMtr.s  have  hi'fu  ijuvi  riitil  li\  tlir  saiim 
riiltii':;i'il  aiiil  liuiiiaiii-  \  irw  s 

Till'    \\ar>   ulllill    .slli'iTi  ilril    tliat   nl    till'     l!i  \'i|lltli'll    Wnr     111  ilill'l' 
MillL'llt     li\      lis,    linr    well'    llii'N    |i|'iisi  I'llti  il     jiU'    iilir     liiiHililit     |ii|li;i'r 

lliaii  was  ii('ia's.sar\  Inr  tin-  tlclciici'  <>l  llir  li'niitiii'.s  Sn  rdi'iiL'ii 
Iriilii  till*  vifws  (if  iiiir  <  invi  riiinriit  \m  rr  all  iilras  nl'  i  <i|ii|iii'>>(,  that 
till'  trnn|is  Milt  nut  iimlrr  llaiiin  l'  anil  Si  (lair  wci'r  lint  Mlf- 
lii'ii'iilU  iiiiiiirriiii>  tn  inaiiilain  a  stain!  in  tlir  w  ililrnirss.  iinr 
|iin\ii|i'i|  Willi  >u|.jilii  s  tni'  I'Viii  mil'  I  aiii|iai'jii  ;  ainl  llir  arinv 
nl  Was  III'  was  Niitni'imis  niiU  llimiiuli  till'  <'\i  rlmn  nl'  MH'jn'ai' 
hkill  ami  L'alhiiitrv . 


hr   ti('al\   nl    (iri'i'iixi 


in    nil.-.,  Iiv    (inn  ral  W 


IS  III',  al. 


till'  lirail  n|  a  \  nlnnniis  arniv,  w  ith  thr  rllii  Is  nl'  thr  tnlirs  w  lid  had 
|iist  III  I'll  \ani|iiislii  i|  in  liattlr.  ali'nrils  tiir  slmnni  si  i  \ii|(  nrr  nlllir 
jiaiiiii'  ^il'V^^  nl'  mir  (in\rriinirnl  Nnlliiii'^  IS  (laiinrd  in  lliai 
tri'at\  In  riulil  nl  rnii(|in'st.  'j'lii'  |i:irta's  ay;ri  r  In  tstalilish  a 
|irr|i('liial  |H'arr,  tlir  Indians  ai'kiinw  Inl.i.rr  t!irii,.M'i\t's  tn  lir  iimlcr 
tlic  |irilrrllnn  nl  tin  I  nitril  Stairs,  and  lint  nl'  ail\  liil'i'iij'li  linwrr; 
tli('\  |iriiiniM'  tn  -.ill  tliiir  lam!  In  thr  I  nitn!  Stairs  niilv,  till'  InttiT 
itlfrn's  In  jiintirl  lliiiii,  aiid  a  leu   i'1'i.'iilaliniis  ail'  adn|it(d  In  gnveni 


I'lii:  son  I  II   \  mi; mew  imm  ws. 


:i7.i 


llm  iiilnciMirsr  ImIwcih  the  |i,irlii's;  ii  hniindiirs  liin'  i.<  isluMislinl, 


llV   wliii'll  lllr   lliil|:il 


IS  I'linl'inti  t.i  IIS  liiryr  trarts  of  liiiiil,  iicarlv 


III  wliii'li  liail  Imtii  cnli'il  In  us  li\  liifiii  r  li'i'iitirs  ;  and  llic  I'liili'il 
Slates  aifiTcs  1i>  |ia\  llnin  h.mkU  tn  thr  miIiichI  Iwintv  tlinii>aiiil 
iliillars,  and  Id  inalvr  llniii  a  rurllirr  |iasiii('iil  nf  imih'  tlmiisaiid  IImi 
liiiiidnd  dollars  aiiiiiiallv.  'I'liiis,  iii  ntmilialintr  a  |u'arr,  al  llir 
licail-(|iiaiti'|-s  (if  mil'  anii\,  aid  r  a  siiriial  xiiMurv,  wlicii  v. c  'ni'jlit 
li.ivr    dirlaliil,    and    |irnliidil\    dnl    dutalr,    tlir    tiiiiis,    \\c    ic(|iiirn 


lllllllllM. 


w  hiIm  r  jiarlics, 


lull  ll 


ic   |iiiluriiiaii(c  III   their  |ii"'\  iiiiiH 


vojiiiitarv  iMiifayemeiits.  and  ur  |iiiriliase  tlieir  rneii(|.s|ii|)  In  an 
aiiiiiial  Iriliiite  I  advert  to  tins  treaty  as  mie  >>{  the  nidst  jni- 
portaiit,    ami    as    rnniimii    the    iiindei    and    liasis   i.l'  aliimst    all    tlie 


Indian  treaties  w  liieli  have  si 


leeeei 


led  it. 


I'Viiiii  this  time  liirvvanl  mir  ( iuverimn  nt   cdi  imiied  |,.  |iiM'siie  :i 
eiiiic'ilial'>i'\   ami  Iniiiiaiie  eniidiii'l  Inwards  the    Indians.      In  a   li  llei." 


Irniii    llie 


•I'ltarv  n|   \\  ir  In  ( ieneral    llarrisnii,  (iuvi 


>r  th 


Indiana  'rerrilnry.  dated    l'eliriiar\    -J."!!!,    I"«n',»,  the   rnllnwinif  Ian- 
"It    is   the   ardent    wish   nl    the    President    of  tint 


llsei 


Unaye 

I'nited   Stales,  as  v.ell  fruni  a   |iriiiei|ile  ul'  hninaiiitv,  as  iVniii  dntv 

and   siMiml    |in|ii-\,  that   all    [irndeiit    iik  aiis   in  mir   jinvver  shall   he 


nnreiniltinirlv    piirsm 


tnr 


irr\  MIL'     into    elleet      Ihi'     hemvnlelit 


views  nl'  ( 'onifress,  relative  tn  the  Indian  nalinns  within  the  hniimls 
<il  the  I  lilted  Stales.  The  |iiiivisiniis  made  hv  (cin'jress,  under 
tiie  iieads  of  inlereniirse  w  ith  the  Indian  nations,  and  I'nr  eslahlish- 
iiilf  tradinifdiniises  ainnnir  them,  \e  ,  have  for  their  nhjeel  imt  milv 


the  eiillivation   and    eslalilishinenl   of   hariiinii 


\    ami    li'ielHhaii|i  be- 


tween  the 


lilted    States  and   the  diliereiil    nalmiis  i 


mliaiis, 


liiit 


the  iiitriMliietioii  oleivili/alinii  hv  eneoiirairiiiir  and  <;;nidiiallv  intrn- 
diicinjf  IIk'  arts  of  hiishandrv  ai.d  dmneslie  maniiraetiires  anioiiLf 
Ih.-m." 

U    \\  ln|(    ihlls  In  the    same    !_'nVernnr:— 
I'     iieliial    iieaie    w  illi    the    Indians,    to 


President  JeH'er.soi'  h 


lUl 


o 


nr  system  in  to  Iim    in 


cultivate  an  all'eetiniiate  ,  Maehnent  from  them,  l)\   everv   tliii 


'"  ,l'i"^' 


^. 


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Sciences 

Corporation 


13  W*'  T  MAIN  STREFT 

WerSTER.N.V.  14580 

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374 


A\   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


and  lil)('ral  we  can  do  for  them,  within  the  bounds  of  reason,  and 
by  giving  tliem  eflectual  protection  against  wrongs  from  our  pco- 
pUi."  Again ;  "  In  this  way  our  settlements  will  circumscribe  and 
approach  the  Indians,  and  they  will  cither  incorporate  with  us,  as 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  or  remove  beyond  the  Mississippi. 
The  former  is  certainly  the  termination  of  their  history  most  happy 
for  themselves;  but  in  the  whole  course  of  this,  it  is  most  essen- 
tial to  cidtivate  their  love ;  as  to  their  fear,  we  presume  that  our 
strength  and  their  weakness  are  now  so  visible,  that  they  must  see 
we  have  only  to  shut  our  hand  to  crush  them,  and  all  our  liberalitj" 
to  them  proceeds  from  motives  of  humanity  alone. 

Under  date  of  December  22,  1808,  President  Jefferson  wrote 
thus: — "I.i  a  letter  to  you  of  February  27,  1S02,  I  mentioned  that 
I  had  heard  there  was  still  one  Peoria  man  living,  and  that  a  com- 
pensation making  him  easy  for  life  should  be  given  him,  and  his 
conveyance  of  the  country  by  regular  deed  obtained.  If  there  be 
such,  a  man  living,  I  think  this  should  still  be  done."  Here  was 
an  instance  in  which,  a  tribe  being  supposed  to  be  extinct,  tlie 
Government  had  taken  possession  of  the  country  which  had  been 
owned  T)y  tLem ;  but  the  President  of  the  United  States  afterwards 
hearing  that  one  individual  of  that  tribe  was  in  existence,  proposed 
to  pay  him  for  the  soil  and  get  a  conveyance  from  him.  We  doubt 
whether,  in  the  annals  of  any  other  nation  than  our  own,  so  scru- 
pulous an  act  of  justice  can  be  shown;  and  we  suppose  that  Mr. 
Jefferson  had  regard  not  merely  to  the  rights  of  the  survivor  of  tlie 
almost  extinct  tribe,  but  to  the  salutary  and  important  principle 
to  wdiich  he  wished  to  give  publicity,  and  which  has  always  been 
recognized  by  our  government,  namely,  that  we  claim  no  right  to 
take  the  lands  of  the  Indians  from  them  except  by  purchase. 

From  the  close  of  the  Revolution  the  agents  of  the  British  Go- 
vernment continiied  to  exercise  all  the  incendiary  arts  of  their 
despicable  diplomacy,  in  perpetuating  the  animosity  of  the  Indians 
against  our  country  and  people.     It  is  probable  that  until  the  con- 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


elusion  of  the  war  of  1812,    the  mother  country  never  eiitii-elj 
abandoned  the  hopi;  of  reihu^ntr  her  lost  Colonies  to  tlieir  former 
state  of  sul)jection.     Alarmed  at  the  rapidity  with  which  our  set- 
tlements were  spreading  to  tlie   west,  they  attempted  to  oppose 
barriers  to  our  advance  in  that  direction,  by  inciting  the  savages 
to  war ;  and  erpially  alarmed  at  our  efforts  to  civilize  the  tril)es, 
and  fearful  that  they  niiglit  l)e  induced  to  sit  down  under  the  pro- 
tection of  our  republican  institutions,  and  thus  bring  an  immense 
accession  to  our  strength,  they  insidiously  endeavored  to  counter- 
vail all  our  benevolent  exertions  of  that  description.     If  I  had  not 
the  proof  at  hand,.  I  would  not  venture  to  expose  to  the  Christian 
world  the  extent,  the  wickedness,  the  unhap])y  tendency  of  these 
intrigues.      The  United   States   were   engaged  in  an   experiment 
which  w^as  approved  by  every  virtuous  man,  and  ought  to  have 
been  supported  by  every  enlightened  nation.     Tliey  were  earnestly 
endeavoring  to  reclaim  the  sa\'age — to  induce  the  tribes  to  abandon 
their  cruelties,  their  superstitions,  their  comfortless  and   perilous 
wanderings,  and  to  sit  down  in  tlie  enjoyment  of  law,  relitrion, 
peace,  industry,  and  the  arts.     They  wished  to  send  the  cross  of 
the    Redeemer,   the   blcssmgs   of  civil  liberty,  and  the   lirdit  of 
science,  abroad  throughout  this  vast  continent;   and  to  establish 
])eace  and  good-Mill  in  those  boiuidless  forests  which  had  hereto- 
fore  been  the  gloomy  aboiles  of  terocious   ignorance,   vindictive 
pa^ssion,  and  sanguinary  conllict.      Had  they  been  successful  in 
this  beneficent  design,  they  would  have  achieved  a  revolution  as 
gloriovts  as  that  which  gave  us  independence.     The  English  cabi- 
net, nursing  their  resentment,  and  brooding  over  their  gi<rantic  but 
sordid  schemes  of  commercial  aggrandizement,  saw  the  possibility 
of  such  a  result,  and  lreml)led  at  tlie  consequences.     They  could 
not  consent  that  the  United  States  should  reap  the  honor  of  so 
proud  a  triumj)!!,  or  that  tlieir  own  means  of  access  to  our  western 
settlements,  for  annoyance  or  conquest,  should  be  cut  off.     Even 
the  paltry  boon  of  tlie  fur  trade,  was  a  sufficient  inducement,  m 


370 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


their  eyes,  for  withlinldiiiir  from  the  red  men  the  Bilile,  and  die 
arts  of  ponce.  Their  emissaries  therefore  were  multiplied,  and 
stimulated  to  renewed  activity;  and  while  the  agents  of  our  goA'eru- 
ment,  the  Christian  missionaries,  and  hundreds  of  benevolent  indi- 
viduals, labored  assiduously  to  enlighten  the  savage  mind,  and 
allure  it  to  peace  and  industry,  the  mdiallowed  ambassadors  of 
corrui)1inn  toiled  as  industriously  to  perpetuate  the  darkness  of 
heathenism,  the  gloom  of  ignorance,  and  the  atrocities  of  war. 
They  represented  our  government  as  having  interests  inimical  to 
those  of  the  red  men ;  and  endeavored  to  fasten  upon  us,  as  a 
peojile,  tliosc  enormities  which  had  been  practised  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  llieir  own  government,  and  of  which  we  had  been  the 
sulferers,  in  common  with  the  Aborigines.  They  characterized 
our  missionaries  as  political  agents;  and  appealed  successfully  to 
the  ambition  of  the  chiefs,  and  the  prejudices  and  national  pride 
of  the  tribes,  l)y  insinuating  that  our  efforts  to  extend  to  them  our 
customs,  arts,  faith,  and  language,  were  intended  to  destrov  their 
integrit}-  and  independence,  to  efface  their  tradilicms,  and  Ijlot  out 
their  names  from  the  list  of  nations.  Tliey  were  told  that  they 
were  to  be  reduced  to  slavery,  and  made  to  lal)or  with  the  negro. 
Stronger  and  more  direct  arts  than  even  these  were  resorted  to ; 
while  we  inculcated  the  virtue  of  temperance,  and  showed  the 
Indian  that  intemperance  was  rapidly  destroying  his  name  and 
kindred,  the  British  agent  secretly  distributed  l)randy  with  a  lavish 
hand;  while  wc  invited  tlic  warrior  to  peace,  be  gave  him  arms 
and  amunition,  and  incited  him  to  war  and  plunder;  while  we 
offered  the  tribes  our  Gospel,  and  our  arts,  ho  lavished  among  their 
chiefs  military  titles,  red  coats,  epaulets,  and  trinkets,  thus  adminis- 
tering aliment  to  every  savfge  propensity,  and  neutralizing  tlie 
effect  of  every  wise  ]irecopt  and  virtuous  example.  Such  mis- 
creants as  McKee  and  Girty — the  latter  a  vulgar  renegade  from 
our  own  country,  and  the  former  a  British  oflicer  of  high  rank — 
vvViile  in  the  daily  perpetration  of  tlio.se  odious  crimes,  received 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


877 


from  tlio  British  govcnimoiit  llio  lloll()^^s  iiiul  rewards  wliieli  are 
only  due  to  virtiiotis  and  ])atriotic  services. 

The  facts  that  support  tlicsc  assertions  are  found  scattered 
ahundantly  tlironghout  our  history.  President  Wasliington  com- 
plained to  the  British  government  of  the  tampering  with  the  In- 
i  '  within  our  limits  by  Lord  Dorchester,  Governor  of  Canada. 
M  Jefferson,  in  a  speech  to  certain  chiefs  oi  the  Miami,  Potta- 
watimie,  Delaware,  and  Chip])ewa  tribes,  who  visited  our  seat  of 
government,  siiid  :  "  GiMieral  Washington,  our  first  President,  began 
a  line  of  just  and  friendly  conduct  towards  you.  Mr.  Adams,  the 
second,  continued  it;  and  from  the  moment  I  came  into  the  ad- 
ministration, I  have  looked  npon  you  witli  the  same  good-will  as 
my  own  fellow-citizens,  have  considered  your  interests  as  our  inter- 
e.sts,  and  peace  and  friendship  as  a  blessing  to  us  all.  Seeing  with 
sincere  regret,  that  your  people  were  wasting  away  ;  believing  that 
this  proceeded  from  your  frequent  wars,  the  destructive  use  of 
spirituous  liquors,  and  the  scanty  supplies  of  food,  I  have  incul- 
cated peace  with  all  your  neighbors,  have  endeavored  to  prevent 
the  introduction  of  s[)irituous  liquors,  and  have  pressed  it  npon  you 
to  rely  for  food  on  the  culture  of  the  earth  more  than  on  hunting. 
On  the  contrary,  my  children,  the  English  persuade  you  to  hunt. 
They  supply  yon  with  spirituous  liquors,  and  are  now  endeavo,  'ng 
to  persuade  you  to  join  them  in  a  war  against  us,  should  a  war 
take  place." 

"  You  possess  r?ason,  my  children,  as  we  do,  and  you  will  judge 
for  yourselves  which  of  us  advise  you  as  friends.  The  course  they 
advise,  has  worn  you  down  to  your  present  numbers;  but  temper- 
ance, peace,  and  agriculture,  will  raise  you  u|i  to  what  your  fore- 
fathers were,  will  prepiu-e  yon  to  possess  property,  to  wish  to  livo 
under  regular  laws,  to  join  us  in  our  government,  to  mix  with  us 
m  societ.y,  and  your  blood  and  ours  united  will  spreaa  over  the 
great  island." 

Contrast  these  sentiments,  so  honorable  to  our  country,  anu  to 

48 


378 


AN   ESSAY   OX   THE   HISTORY  OF 


hiiin  nitv,  witli  the  following  talk  from  Colonel  McKee,  tlic  British 
siiperinteTideiit  of  liuiiaii  Adairs,  delivered  to  the  Pottawatiniie 
chiefs,  at  the  Kiver  St.  Joseph  of  Lake  Michigan,  in  Novenil)er, 
1804.  "My  children,  it  is  true  that  the  Americans  do  not  wisli 
you  to  drink  any  spirituous  liquors,  therefore  they  have  told  Iheir 
traders  tliat  they  should  not  carry  any  liquor  into  your  country; 
hut,  my  children,  they  have  no  right  to  say  tlitit  one  of  i/oiirfdlher's 
traders  among  you  should  carry  no  li([Uor  among  his  children." 

"  My  children,  your  father  King  George,  loves  his  red  children, 
and  wishes  his  red  children  to  he  supplied  with  evcrij  thing  tlieij 
want.  lie  is  not  like  tlu^  Americans,  who  are  continually  blinding 
yonr  eyes,  and  slopping  your  ears  with  good  words,  that  taste  sweet 
as  suyar,  and  [rettinsj  all  vour  lands  from  von." 

"  My  children,  I  am  told  that  Wells  h;is  told  you,  that  it  was 
your  interest  to  suffer  no  li(pior  to  come  into  the  country;  you  all 
know  that  he  is  a  bad  man,"  &c. 

On  another  occasion,  he  said.  "  My  children  there  is  a  powerful 
enemy  of  jours  to  the  East,  now  on  his  feet,  and  looks  mad  at  you, 
therefore,  you  must  be  on  your  guard  ;  keep  your  weapons  of  war 
in  vour  luuids,  and  have  a  look-out  tor  him." 

This  language  was  addressed,  by  the  authorized  agent  of  a  nation 
at  peace  with  us,  to  tlie  Indians  living  south  of  the  Lakes,  and 
witliin  our  acknowled<j;ed  limits,  al  a  council  held  in  their  country 
and  within  our  jiu'isdiction,  at  which  he  could  not  be  present  for 
any  purpose  inimical  to  our  interests,  except  as  a  spy  and  an  incen- 
diary. It  was  the  language  wliich,  for  j^ears,  the  emissaries  of  that 
nation  continued  to  address  to  our  Indians. 

To  enable  herself  to  carry  on  these  intrigues,  the  British  Govern- 
ment had,  in  violation  of  the  existing  treaty  of  jieace,  kept  posses- 
sion of  several  military  ])osts,  south  of  the  Lakes,  and  within  our 
ndmitted  boundaries,  which  she  retained  for  twelve  years  after  the 
Ciose  of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  until  tlie  victorv  of  Wayne 
bkusted  all  her  hopes  in  this  quarter.     This  was  the  period  during 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


879 


which  the  most  distrcssiiisj  hostilities  were  carried  on  against  the 
settlers  aloug  the  whole  line  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  the  most  hrutal 
outrages  were  committed— when  tlie  scalpings,  the  burnings,  and 
the  torture  at  the  stake  were  most  frequent,  and  attended  with  the 
most  atrocious  cruekies.  Yet  during  that  whole  time,  the  Indians 
on  this  frontier  were  supplied  from  these  British  posts  with  arms 
and  ammunition,  and  urged  on  to  the  work  of  blood.  They  \\-ere 
:issembled  periodically  to  receiv.:  presents,  and  to  listen  to  inilam- 
matory  harangues  against  the  American  Government  and  people — 
a  government  on  which  they  were  dependent,  and  a  people  with 
whom  they  could  not  make  war,  but  to  their  own  uttcM-  destruction. 
During  all  that  period,  Brant,  an  al)le  and  most  active  partisan  of 
the  British;  was  passing  frequently  along  the  whole  of  our  north- 
western frontier,  holding  councils,  advising  the  tribes  to  an  uncom- 
promising warfare  with  the  United  States.  Ho  was  a  secret  and 
unacknowledged  emissary,  but  in  Mr.  Stone's  Life  of  liim  recently 
l)ublished,  these  transactions  are  avowed  and  established  ;  and  in 
that  work  are  exhibited  letters  \vluch  passed  between  this  noted 
savage  and  the  British  officers,  and  public  documents  recently 
obtained  from  the  British  archives,  which  develope  all  these  facts. 
And  this  conspiracy  was  rendered  the  more  criminal  by  the  cir- 
cumstance, that  General  Knox,  as  Secretary  of  War,  was  at  that 
very  time  corresponding  with  Brant,  who  was  an  educated  man, 
and  a  professing  Christian,  inviting  his  mediation  between  us  and 
those  deluded  tribes  who  wore  still  hostile,  and  representing  to  him 
the  advantages  to  them,  and  the  honor  to  himself,  which  would 
result  from  a  pacification  of  the  frontier,  through  his  instrumen- 
tality.  Brant  had  affected  to  listen  to  these  overtures,  and  had 
visited  Philadelphia,  upon  the  urgent  invitation  of  General  Knox, 
for  the  ostensible  purpose  of  consulting  with  the  cabinet  in  regard 
to  this  philanthropic  plan,  but  really,  as  it  turned  out,  to  blind  the 
eyes  of  the  American  Government.  Several  distingui,shed  Ameri 
can  philanthropists  were  also,  about  this  period,  exchanging  letters 


880 


AN    nsSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


willi  lliis  forest  TiiUcyniiK]  on  llic  same  siiljject,  aiicl  he  contrived 
to  (Icliidc  them  also,  witli  tlic  expectation  that  all  the  western  tribes 
might  be  conciliated  through  his  mediation. 

It  is  now  known,  as  a  part  of  the  well  authenticated  histor}'  of 
onr  country,  that  in  the  savage  army  opposed  to  our  forces  under 
(Jeneral  Wayne,  there  were  more  than  one  hundred  Canadians. 
British  subjects,  who  were  engjiged  in  the  battle  which  concluded 
tliat  decisive  campaign  ;  that  the  British  oflicers  from  the  nei<>h- 
l)oring  fort  assisted  in  the  council  of  chiefs  who  arranged  the  plan 
of  lliat  engjigenient ;  and  thai  the  vanquished  savages  took  shelter 
in  the  Britisli  fort. 

The  conduct  of  Great  Britain,  in  tampering  with  the  American 
Indians,  was  so  ine.vcusable,  was  fraught  with  such  cruel  mockery 
to  tlie  Indians  who  were  llie  ignorant  dupes  of  that  policy,  and 
exercised  so  powerful  an  inlluence  upon  the  fate  and  character 
of  that  unfortunate  people,  that  it  will  not,  we  trust,  be  considered 
inappropriate  to  exhibit  some  of  the  jjroofs  of  this  interference. 
Tiiese  proofs  are  numerous,  but  wo  shall  only  select  a  few  at 
random. 

Colonel  Gordon,  a  British  oiTicer  in  Canada,  in  a  letter  to  Cap- 
tain Brant,  dated  June  11,  1791,  in  allusion  to  the  attempts  of  the 
American  Government  to  make  peace  with  the  Indians,  remarks : 
'■  It  must  strike  you,  v(M-y  forcibly,  that  in  all  the  proceedings  of 
the  diflercnt  Commissioners  from  the  American  States  they  have 
cautiously  avoided  apjilying  for  our  interference,  as  a  measure 
they  affect  to  think  perfectly  unnecessary ;  wishing  to  im])iess 
the  Indians  with  ideas  of  their  own  consequence,  and  of  the  little 
influence,  they  would  willingly  believe,  we  are  possessed  of.  This, 
my  good  friend,  is  not  the  way  to  proceed.  Had  they,  before  mat- 
ters were  pushed  to  extremity,  requested  the  assistance  of  the 
British  to  bring  about  a  peace  upon  ccpiitable  terms,  I  am  con- 
vinced the  measure  would  have  been  fully  accom])liished  before 
lliis  time."     The  cool  arrogance  with  whicii  the  Americans  are 


TIIR  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


381 


sneered  at  for  not  iiiviliiiir  the  intin-fereiifo  of  a  foreign  yovi.n'ii- 
moiit,  in  a  (|uarrel  willi  savages,  living  witliiu  our  limits,  is  onlv 
exceeded  by  the  art  evinred  in  tlie  assertion  that  such  a  nicdiation 
would  have  been  successful.  The  writer  knew  tliat  tlie  existiii<-- 
dissatisfaction  was  caused  chielly  by  the  intrigues  of  liis  own 
Government,  and  ho  hazardcid  little  in  saying  that,  witli  the 
assistance  of  the  British,  peace  might  have  been  established.— 
Stone's  Life  of  Brant,  vol.  ii.  p.  301. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  17<.i-2,  Brunt  was  addressed  by  Mr.  Joseph 
(.'hew,  an  ollicer  under  Sir  John  Johnson,  expressing  much  satis- 
faction at  the  refusal  of  Captain  Brant  to  accept  an  invitation,  from 
the  Secretary  of  War,  to  visit  Philadelphia,  on  a  mission  of  peace, 
and  advising  the  chief  of  the  preparations  the  Americans  were 
making  for  an  Indian  campaign.  The  following  passage  occurs  in 
this  letter  : — "  I  see  they  expect  to  have  an  army  of  about  five  thou- 
sand men,  besides  three  troops  of  horse.  By  the  advertisements  for 
supplies  of  provisions,  &c.,  it  seems  that  this  army  will  not  be  able 
to  move  before  the  last  of  July.  What  attempts  Wilkinson  and 
Ilamtramck  may  make  with  the  militia  is  uncertani.  Oi/r  fn'auh 
ought  to  be  on  their  guard.  I  long  to  know  what  they  think  iu 
England  of  the  victory  gained  over  St.  Clair's  army.— Stone's  Life 
of  Brant,  vol.  ii.  p.  327. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  its  anxiety  to  make 
peace  with  the  north-western  tribes,  in  Fel)ruary,  1793,  ap|)ointed 
General  Benjamin  Lincoln,  Mr.  Beverly  Randolph,  and  Colonel 
Timothy  Pickering.  Commissioners  to  hold  a  treaty  at  the  Miamis, 
with  such  of  the  tribes  as  might  choose  to  be  represented.  The 
arrangement  for  this  meeting  had  been  made  with  the  Indians  the 
preceding  autumn,  and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  they  requested  tliat 
some  individuals  of  the  Society  of  Friends  should  be  attached  to 
the  mission — so  widely  had  the  fame  of  Penn  and  his  people 
extenden,  and  such  was  the  confidence  of  the  tribes  in  the  integrity 
of  that  pacific  sect.     At  the  same  time  some  Quaker  gentlemen, 


3S2 


AN    KSSAY   ON   Till:   HISTOHV    OF 


willuml  cuiiccrt  witli  the  Iiidiiiiis,  hikI  iiistiifatcd  only  l)y  \]iv  piircsit 
iiii|)iils(,'  of  bcncvoloncc,  had  voluiitiu-ily  oIl'iTcd  their  aid  and  me- 
diatioii,  wliich  was  accepted.  Tlie  Cotnniissioners,  tlicn^fon',  were 
accoiiij)aiiiod  hy  John  Parrisli,  William  Savcry,  and  JdIiu  Fillidt, 
of  Pliiladclpliia ;  Jacob  Liiidlay,  of  Chester  county;  and  Joseph 
Moore  and  William  llartshorne,  of  New  Jersey,  meiid)ers  of  the 
Society  of  Friends. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Commissioners  at  Queenston,  on  tlie  Nia- 
^rara.  on  the  17lh  of  May,  they  found  that  Rraiit  and  some  of  his 
Indians,  with  Colonel  Biillcr,  the  British  superintendent  of  [ndian 
Affairs,  had  proceeded  to  the  jjlace  of  meelinif — l)ut  llie  Conuni.s- 
sioiu'rs  were  detained  here,  under  various  pretences,  by  Governor 
Sinieoe,  until  the  Ufith  of  June.  On  their  arrival  at  llii'  month  of 
Detroit  River,  they  were  obliired  to  land,  by  the  British  authorities 
at  Detroit,  who  forbade  their  further  approach,  for  the  present, 
towards  the  place  of  meeting.  Here  they  were  met  by  a  deputa- 
tion from  the  Indian  nation  already  assembled  in  council,  who, 
among  other  things,  asked  them  if  they  were  fully  authorized  by 
the  United  States  to  fix  firmly  on  the  Ohio  River  as  the  boundary 
line  between  the  white  and  red  men.  From  the  1st  to  the  IJth  of 
August  the  Commissioners  were  detained  at  this  place,  by  the 
intrigues  of  the  British  ofiiccrs;  in  the  mean  while  the  Indians 
decided,  in  the  great  council,  that  they  would  nf)t  treat  upon  any 
other  terms  than  the  settlement  of  the  Ohio  River  as  tlu;  boundary. 
To  this  the  Commissioners  could  not  consent,  the  more  especially 
as  large  purchases  of  land  had  been  made  from  the  Indians  north 
of  that  river,  upon  \. hich  .settlements  had  been  made;  and  they 
returned  without  having  been  permitted  even  to  meet  the  tribes  in 
council. 

If  any  doubt  existed  as  to  the  duplicity  of  the  Canadian  authori- 
ties, in  regard  to  this  transaction,  it  would  be  removed  by  the 
testimony  of  Captain  Brant,  who  played  a  conspicuous  part  in 
those   councils.      His  biographer,    Mr.   Stone,   among  the   many 


r 


TIIH   NOllTII    AMKllIC.W   IN1J[ANS. 


38;j 


valuable  (IncntiKMits  ll|•oll^dlt  lo  lii-lit  hy  his  rcsciirdi,  has  [)iil)lished 
tlic   followiiin-  cxtracl  IVdiii  a  s|)c(ch,  whirli  hv  Ibimd  amoiiH-  iho 

|):i|i(M-s  (if  MiMiil,  ill   the   ii l-uritiiin-  (if  the  chief: — "  For  several 

years"  (after  tlie  peace  of  17*?-2,)  "we  were  eii<^a<re(l  in  ifettiiifr  ii 
confeileracy  fdniieil,  and  the  iiiiaiiiiiiity  occasioned  by  these  endea- 
vors, aiiK.nn:  our  western  hretlireii,  tiiahhl  them  In  ilvftut  l,ro 
Aiiiiiiniii  aimics.  The  war  colli iiiiied,  without  our  hrotiiers,  the 
KnifJish.  iriviiiu-  :,iiy  assistance,  exceptinti:  <i  Ultk  uinmnnilion  ;  and 
lliey  seeiiiinn-  to  desire  that  a  peace  niiolit  l)e  concluded,  we  tried 
to  l)rin^r  it  al)oiit,  at  a  lime  tliat  the  I'nited  States  di'sired  it  verv 
inneh,  so  that  they  sent  Comniissioners  from  among  their  first 
people,  to  endeavor  to  make  peace  with  the  hostile  Indians.  Wc 
assembled,  also,  for  that  purpose,  at  the  Miami  River,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  \1\Y,\,  intending  to  act  as  mediators  in  bringing  about  an 
honorable  peace;  and  if  that  could  not  he  obtained,  we  resolved  to 
join  our  w(>stern  brethren  in  trying  llie  fortuiu;  of  war.  But  to 
our  surprise,  when  on  tlie  point  of  entering  upon  a  treatv  with  the 
Comiriissionors,  wc  found  that  it  nris  opposed  hij  t/iosc  acting  under 
the  British  Gonernment,  and  hopes  of  further  assistance  were  (jiren 
to  our  western  brethren,  to  encourage  them  to  insii*t  on  the  Ohio  as 
a  boundary  between  them  and  the  United  States."— 5'/o//e\<;  Life 
of  Brant,  vol.  ii.  p.  358. 

In  all  the  intrigues  of  Canadi+tn  authorities  with  the  Indians, 
Brant  was  the  agent  most  frequently  employed  ;  and  it  was  after  a 
thorough  investigation  of  the  papers  of  that  chief,  and  of  a  mass  of 
documentary  evidence  furnished  by  his  family,  that  Mr.  Stone 
came  to  the  conclusion,  "that  during  the  wliole  controversy  be- 
tween the  Indians  and  the  United  States,  from  1786  to  the  defeat 
of  St.  Clair,  the  former  had  been  countenanced  and  encoiu-aged  bv 
English  agents,  and  repeatedly  excited  to  actual  hostilities,  there 
was  no  doubt." 

In  the  year  1794  Lord  Dorchester,  who  is  better  known  m 
American  history  by  his  former  litle  of  Sir  Guy  Carleton,  delivered 


as  I 


AN    IvSSAY   ON   TIIK  'IISTOUY  OF 


ii  spcccli  to  ;i  miinlKir  of  Iiiiliiiii  (li'iiiilics,  (Voin  tlic  Irilics  witliiii  tli(.' 
rnitcd  Slates,  Jiinonif  whom  was  tlio  colubratcd  Little  'rurtlc,  in 
wiiicli  lie  held  llic  I'lillowing  laiigiKi^fc  ; 

"Cliildicii : — 1  was  in  cxpcrlalioii  of  hoaring  from  the  people 
(if  tlio  T'nitcd  States  what  was  refpiired  by  them;  I  hoped  that 
I  sliould  have  been  al)le  to  brin<f  you  toirotlier,  and  make  you 
friends." 

"Children: — I  have  waited  lon^r,  and  listened  with  great  atten- 
tion, l)iit  I  have  not  heard  a  word  I'niin  them." 

"('hildren: — I  llattcred  myself  with  the  hope  that  the  line  pro- 
posed in  the  year  eighty-three  to  separate  us  from  the  United 
States,  irhicli  was  inimc'liali'hj  liro/.cii  In/  Ihimsclres  as  soon  as  the 
peace  tras  sif/ne(f,  would  have  been  mended,  or  a  iww  line  drawn 
in  an  aniieabie  manner.     Here,  also,  I  have  been  disapj'e-      'd." 

"Children: — Since  my  return,  I  find  no  appearance  of  a  line 
remains ;  and  from  the  manner  in  wliich  tlje  people  of  tlie  United 
States  rush  on,  and  act,  and  talk,  on  this  side,  and  from  what  I 
learn  of  their  conduct  toward  the  sea,  I  shall  not  be  .surprised  if  we 
are  at  war  with  them  in  the  course  of  the  present  year;  and  if  so, 
a  line  must  then  be  drawn  by  the  warrior.s." 

"  Children  : — You  talk  of  selling  your  lands  to  the  State  of  New 
York  :  I  have  told  you  that  there  is  no  line  between  them  and  us. 
I  shall  acknowledge  no  lands  to  be  theirs  which  have  been  en- 
croached on  by  them  since  tlic  year  1783.  They  then  broke  the 
peace,  and  as  they  kept  it  not  on  their  part,  it  doth  not  bind 
on  ours." 

"Children: — They  then  destroyed  their  right  of  pre-emption. 
Therefore,  all  their  approaches  towards  us  since  that  time,  and  all 
the  purchases  made  by  them,  I  consider  an  infringement  on  the 
King's  rights.  And  when  a  line  is  drawn  between  us,  be  it  in 
peace  or  war,  they  must  lose  all  their  improvements  and  houses  on 
our  side  of  it.     Those  people  must  all  be  gone  who  do  not  obtain 


Tin;  N()i;i'[[   \''n:iirc.\N  i\i)i  ws. 


885 


IcilVC   to  llCCIIIIIC   ihc    Killn's  Slllliccts.         \\  ||;il    lll'ldllus   t((    tlic    Iii(li;iiis 

will  of  course  l)c  scciiicd  nnil  roiitiniifd  lo  ihciii." 

'•  (.'liildrcii  : — \\  li;it  I'lii'tlicr  run  I  s;i\  to  \i\\\  '  \(iii  Jirc  w  itiicsscs 
tliiif  (III  our  piirts  we  liiivc  Jictcd  in  the  luost  iii'iiccahlt'  luiuiiuT,  and 
lioriic  tlic  l:uiM^ii!i<4('  and  coiiduft  of  tlic  people  of  tlie  Tnited  States 
witli  patience.     Hut  I  helievc  our  [latieiiee  is  almost  exhausted."' 

Till!  autlieiiticity  of  this  reiiiarkahle  speecii  was  denied  when  it 
was  first  made  pulilic;  i)ut  (ieneral  Washington,  then  President 
of  the  United  States,  JKilioved  it  to  lie  irenuiiie  ,  and  the  Secretary 
of  Stivto  remonstrated  stronijfly  with  .Mr.  llamniond,  the  Hritisli 
Minister,  against  it,  and  aLjainst  tin!  eonduet  of  (iovernor  Siiiicoo, 
who  was  enifairi'd  in  iioslile  measures.  The  iiupurv  was  (evaded, 
and  the  authenticity  of  tlie  speecli  remained  somewhat  douhtfui. 
.Ml  douhl  has  heiMi  now  removed  liy  the  successful  research  of 
Mr.  Stone,  who,  in  culiiclinir  uiiiterials  for  the  Life  of  Brant,  found  • 
a  certiiied  eop;  anioii<r  the  papers  of  that  chief. 

In  17!)  t,  fiovernor  Simcoe,  on  heariiiLr  of  the  preparations  for  the 
carnpaijfu  of  the  American  army,  under  (Jeneral  Wayne,  hastened 
to  tlie  West,  as  did  also  Brant,  attended  hy  one  hundred  and  fifty 
of  his  best  warriors — "evidently  for  the  purpose  of  continninir  in 
the  e.xereise  of  an  unfriendly  influence  upon  the  minds  of  ,ho 
Indians  against  the  Uiiited  States.  The  Governor  was  at  the  fort 
near  the  battle-field  on  the  .'JOth  of  September,  as  also  were  Captain 
Brant  and  Colonel  McKee.  The  Indians  had  already  made  some 
advances  to  fJenera!  Wayne  toward  a  negotiation  for  peace ;  but 
their  iltention  was  diverted  by  Simcoe  and  Brant,  who  invited  a 
council  of  tlie  hostile  nations  to  assemble  at  the  mouth  of  the  De- 
troit River,  on  the  10th  of  October.  The  invitation  was  accepted, 
as  also  was  an  invitation  from  General  \Vayne,  who  was  met  by  a 
few  of  their  chiefs ;  so  that  the  wily  savages  were,  in  fact,  sittmn- 
',n  two  councils  at  once,  balancing  chances,  and  preparing  to  make 
peace  only  in  the  event  of  finding  a  little  further  encouragement  to 
fight."— Stowe's  Brant,  vol.  ii.  p.  ;i9ii. 

49 


380 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


In  t!ii'  cnmicil  of  tin;  lOlIi  of  Octohi-r,  SinicoL"  said  to  tliusc  \^n(y- 
riint  aiid  dohided  creatures, — "I  am  still  of  opinion  that  tlie  Oiiio 
is  your  right  and  title.  I  liave  given  orders  to  the  commandant  of 
Fort  Miami  to  fire  on  the  Americans,  whenever  they  make  iheii 
apj)earance  again.  I  will  go  down  to  Quehec  and  lay  your  griev- 
ances hefore  the  great  man.  From  thence  they  will  be  forwarded 
to  the  King  your  father.  Next  spring  you  will  know  the  result  of 
every  thing,  what  you  and  I  will  do." 

Nor  did  these  unfortunate  and  criminal  intrigues  end  here.  The 
correspondence  of  the  Terriiorial  Governors,  Harrison  of  Indiana, 
Edwards  of  Illinois,  and  Howard  of  Missouri,  with  the  War  Depart- 
ment, during  several  years  immediately  preceding  the  war  of  1912, 
are  replete  with  conclusive  evidence  of  this  inhuman  and  discredit- 
able tampering  with  the  savages.  They  give  the  circumstances, 
the  names  of  .some  of  the  emissaries,  and  the  details  of  their  in- 
triuues.  Of  tlic  manv  causes  of  discontent,  which  have  arisen 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  no  one  has  contri- 
buted more  to  embitter  the  minds  of  the  American  people  than 
this — especially  in  tlie  Western  .States,  where  citizens  sutfered 
severely  from  savage  hostilities,  caused  chiefly,  as  they  confidently 
maintain,  by  this  malign  influence. 

Thus  wiiile  our  Government  endeavored  to  throw  the  veil  of 
oblivion  over  past  irritations,  and  to  establish  with  its  red  neigh- 
Iwirs  those  friendly  relations  Ity  which  the  best  interests  of  both 
parties  would  have  been  promoted,  tlie  design  was  frustrated  liv 
the  in":prudence  of  a  few  of  our  citizens,  and  the  unjustifiable  in- 
trigues of  a  foreign  government.  The  consequence  was,  that  our 
frontiers  continued  to  be  desolated  by  petty  wars,  of  the  most  dis- 
tn>ssiiig  character — wars,  the  miseries  of  whicli  fell  solely  upon 
iiidividual.s,  wlio  were  robbed,  and  tortured,  and  murdered,  by  those 
who  jirofessed  to  be  allies,  and  who  were,  in  fact,  the  dependants 
and  beneficiaries  of  our  own  Government. 

Towards  the  year  1R12,  the  Indians  became  more  and  more  auda- 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INPJIANS. 


3S7 


cious.  The  expectation  of  a  war  between  tliis  conntry  and  Great 
Britain,  the  increased  Ijribes  and  redoubled  intrigues  of  that  nation, 
and  the  prospect  of  gaining  in  her  a  powerful  ally,  gave  new  fuel 
to  their  hatred,  and  new  vigor  to  their  courage.  At  this  period,  the 
celebrated  Tecumthe  appeared  upon  the  scene.  He  was  called  the 
Napoleon  of  the  West;  and  so  far  as  that  title  could  be  earned  by 
genius,  courage,  perseverance,  boldness  of  conception,  and  prompti- 
tude of  action,   it  was   fairly  bestowed    upon   that  distinguished 


Tecumthe  was  a  remarkable  man.  lie  rose  from  obscurity  to 
the  command  of  a  tribe,  of  which  some  of  his  family  were  distin- 
guished members,  but  in  which  he  had  no  hereditary  claims  to 
power  or  authority.  He  was  by  turns  the  orator,  the  warrior,  and 
the  politician;  and  in  each  of  these  capacities  gave  evidence  of  a 
high  order  of  intellect,  and  an  elevated  tone  of  thought.  As  is 
often  the  case  with  superior  minds,  one  master-passiou  filled  his 
heart,  and  gave  to  his  whole  life  its  character.  This  was  hatred  to 
the  whites;  and,  like  Hannil)al,  he  had  sworn  that  it  should  be 
perpetual.  He  entertained  the  vast  project  of  inducing  the  Indian 
tribes  to  unite  in  one  great  confederacy,  to  bury  their  feuds  with 
each  other,  and  to  make  common  cause  against  the  white  men.  He 
wished  to  extinguish  all  distinctions  of  tribe  and  language,  and  to 
combine  the  power  f.nd  prejudices  of  all,  in  defence  of  the  rights 
and  possessions  of  the  whole,  as  the  Aboriginal  occupants  of  the 
country.  He  maintained  that  the  Great  Spirit,  in  establishing 
between  the  white  and  red  races  the  distinction  of  color,  intended 
to  ordain  a  perpetual  separation  between  them.  He  insisted  that 
this  country  had  been  given  to  the  Indian  race;  and  while  •  e- 
cognized  the  right  of  each  nation  or  tribe  to  the  exclusive  use  of 
their  hunting-grounds,  so  long  as  they  chose  to  pos.sess  them,  he 
indignantly  denied  the  power  of  any  to  sell  them.  When  the 
occupants  of  any  tract  of  country  removed  from  it,  he  considered  it 
as  reverting  to  the  common  stock,  and  free  to  any  other  Indians 


388 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


who  inight  choose  to  settle  upon  it.  The  idea  of  selling  land,  he 
s  oiited  as  an  absurdity.  "Sell  land  !"  he  c.vclaimod  on  one  occa- 
sion ;  "  as  well  might  you  ])retend  to  sell  the  air  and  the  water 
The  Great  Spirit  gave  them  all  alike  to  us,  the  air  for  us  to  breathe, 
the  water  to  drink,  and  the  earth  to  live  and  to  hunt  upon — you 
may  as  well  sell  the  one  as  the  other!"  He  contended,  therefore, 
that  as  the  Indians  had  no  right  to  cede  any  portion  of  their  terri- 
tory, all  the  cessions  that  had  been  made  were  void.  In  these 
views  he  was  strengthened  by  the  British  officers,  who  found  in 
him  ;ni  able  and  apt  coadjutor;  and  by  tlieir  joint  machinations  tiie 
whole  frontier  was  tlirown  into  commotion.  By  their  advice  he 
insisted  upon  the  Ohio  IJiver  as  the  line  of  separation  between  the 
United  States  and  tlie  Indians,  and  refused  to  make  peace  upon 
any  other  terms  than  the  solemn  recognition  of  this  as  a  yerpetnal 
hoiiiuhry. 

•It  was  a  part  of  the  policy  of  this  chief,  to  destroy  entirely  the 
influence  of  the  whites,  hy  discouraging  tlieir  intercourse  with  the 
Indians.  He  deprecated  the  civilization  of  the  latter,  as  a  means  of 
betraying  them  into  the  power  of  the  white  people,  and  he  con- 
sidered every  kind  of  trade  ;ind  intercourse  between  these  parties 
as  fraught  with  danger  to  the  independence  of  tlie  red  men.  He 
wished  the  latter  to  discard  every  thing,  even  the  weapons,  wliicli 
had  been  introduced  among  them  by  the  whites,  and  to  subsist,  as 
their  ancestors  had  done,  upon  the  products  of  their  plains  and 
forests,  so  that  the  inducement  to  traffic  with  the  whites  should  be 
destroyed.  He  set  the  example,  by  abstaining  entirely  from  the 
use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  many  other  articles  sold  by  the  traders; 
he  refused  to  speak  the  Englisii  language,  and  adhered  as  strictly 
as  yjossible  to  the  customs  of  his  people. 

It  was  with  Tecumthe  him.self,  that  General  Proctor,  the  com- 
mander of  the  British  forces,  made  the  disgraceful  compact,  at  the 
commencement  of  the  campaign  of  mui,  by  which  it  was  stipu- 
lated, that  General  Harrison,  and  all  who  had  fought  with  him  at 


TIIK   NORTH  AMEHTCAN   I\i)lA\S. 


389 


Tippecanoe,  should,  if  taken,  be  delivered  up  to  the  Indiuns,  to  be 
dealt  with  accordin<r  to  their  usages.  He  was  the  terror  and 
scourge  of  his  foes,  the  uncompromising  opposer  of  all  attempts  at 
civilizing  the  Indians,  the  brave,  implacable,  untiring  enemy  of  our 
people.  But  he  was  a  generous  enemy.  Previous  to  his  time,  the 
Shawanese  had  been  in  tlie  practice  of  torturing  jirisoners  taken 
in  battle.  At  the  commencement  of  his  career,  j)robably  after  the 
Hrst  engagement  in  which  he  commanded,  he  rescued  a  prisoner 
from  torture  by  his  personal  interference,  and  declared  that  ho 
would  never,  upon  any  occasion,  permit  a  captive  to  be  cruelly 
treated.  In  this  manly  resolution  he  persevered,  and  greatly  ame- 
liorated the  horrors  of  war,  wherever  he  was  present. 

The  character  of  Tecumthe  was  so  marked  and  peculiar  that  it 
deserves  from  us  at  least  a  passing  notice.  He  was  remarkable  for 
temperance  and  integrity,  was  hospitable,  generous,  and  humane. 
One  who  knew  him,  said  of  him,  "  I  know  of  no  peculiarity  about 
him  that  gained  him  popularit}'.  His  talents,  rectitude  of  deport- 
ment, and  friendly  disposition,  commanded  the  respect  and  regard 
of  all  about  him.  I  consider  him  a  very  great,  as  well  as  a  very 
good  man,  who,  had  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, would  have;  done  honor  to  any  age  or  nation." 

In  the  Life  of  Tecumthe,  by  the  late  amiable  and  lamented  Ben- 
jamin Drake,  of  Cincinnati,  we  find  the  follo\>ing  highly  interesting 
anecdote.  "The  next  action  in  which  Tecumthe  partici[)ated, 
and  in  which  he  manifested  signal  prowess,  was  an  attack  made 
by  the  Indians,  upon  some  flat  boats  descending  the  Ohio,  above 
Limestone,  now  Maysville.  The  year  in  which  it  occurred  is  not 
stated,  but  Tecumthe  was  probably  not  more  than  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  The  boats  were  captured,  and  all  the  persons 
belonging  to  them  killed,  except  one,  who  was  taken  prisoner,  and 
afterwards  burnt.  Tecumthe  was  a  silent  spectator  of  the  scene, 
having  never  witnessed  the  burning  of  a  prisoner  before.  After  it 
was  over  he  exprcLSsed,  in  strong  terms,  his  abhorrence  of  the  act, 


3!1() 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


and  it  was  'finally  concluded  by  tlie  party  that  tliey  would  nevtr 
Uuru  any  more  prisoners;  and  to  this  resolution,  he  himself,  and 
the  jnrty  also,  it  is  believed,  ever  after  scrupulously  adhered.  It 
is  not  less  creditable  to  the  humanity  than  to  the  genius  of  Tecum- 
the,  that  he  should  have  taken  this  noble  stand,  and  by  the  force 
and  eloquence  of  his  appeal,  have  brought  his  companions  to  the 
same  resolution.  He  was  then  but  a  boy,  yet  he  had  the  inde- 
pendence to  attack  a  cherished  custom  of  liis  tribe,  and  the  power 
of  argument  to  convince  them,  against  all  their  preconceived  no- 
tions of  right,  and  the  rules  of  their  warfare,  that  the  custom 
should  be  abolished.  That  his  eilbrt  to  put  a  stop  to  this  cruel 
and  revolting  rite,  was  not  promptenl  by  a  temporary  exjjediency, 
but  was  the  result  of  a  humane  disposition,  and  a  right  sense  of 
justice,  is  abundantly  shown  by  his  conduct  towards  prisoners  in 
after  life."  We  may  add,  that  not  only  did  the  friends  of  Tecum- 
the,  and  his  nation  abandon  the  practice  of  burning  prisoners,  but 
th'j  Indians  generally  ceased  from  alwut  this  period  to  perpetrate 
this  outrage,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  that  he  was  the  principal 
cause  of  the  revolution. 

The  noble  and  magnanimous  conduct  of  this  chief,  towards  some 
Americans  who  were  aken  prisoners  at  the  sortie  from  Fort  Meigs, 
in  1813,  is  worthy  of  record.  These  prisoners  were  taken  to  the 
head-quarters  of  General  Proctor,  the  British  commander,  and  con- 
fined in  Fort  Miami,  "  where  the  Indians  were  permitted  to  annisc 
themselves  by  tiring  at  the  crowd,  or  at  any  particular  individual. 
Those  whose  tastes  led  them  to  inflict  a  more  cruel  and  savage 
death,  led  their  victims  to  the  gatewaj',  where,  under  the  eye  of 
General  Proctor  and  his  ofiicers,  they  were  coolly  tomahawked  and 
scalped.  Upwards  of  twenty  prisoners  were  thus,  in  the  course  of 
two  hours,  massacred  in  cold  blood,  by  those  to  whom  they  had 
voluntarily  surrendered. 

"  Whilst  this  blood-lhirstv  carriage  was  rajrinir,  a  thnnderinT 
voice  was  heard  in  their  rear,  in  the  Indian  tongue,  and  Tecnmthe 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS.  391 

was  seen  coniino-  willi  all  llu>  rapidity  with  wliich  his  horse  could 
carry  him,  until  ho  drew  near  to  where  two  Indians  had  an  Amori- 
nan,  and  were  in  tlie  act  of  killiujr  lijm.  lie  sprang  from  his  horse, 
ranght  one  l)y  the  throat,  and  the  other  by  the  breast,  and  threw 
them  to  the  ground  ;  drawing  his  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife,  he 
ran  in  between  the  Ainerieans  and  Indians,  brandishing  his  arms, 
and  daring  any  one  of  the  hundreds  that  surrounded  him,  to  attempt, 
to  murder  another  American.  They  all  appeared  confounded,  and 
innnediately  desisted.  His  mind  appeared  rent  with  passion,  and 
he  exclaimed  almost  witli  tears  in  his  eyes,  '  Oh  !  what  will  be- 
come of  my  Indians?'  He  then  demanded,  in  an  authoritative  tone, 
where  Proctor  was ;  but  casting  his  eye  ujjon  him  at  a  short  dis- 
tance, sternly  intpiired  why  he  had  not  put  a  stop  to  the  inhuman 
massacn\  'Sir,'  said  Proctor,  'your  Indians  cannot  be  commanded.' 
'Begone,'  returned  Tecumtli(<,  with  the  greatest  disdain,  'you  are 
unfit  to  command;  go  and  put  on  petticoats  !"'—D/-fl/.-e's  L//e  of 
Tccumthe,  p.  IS'2. 

"When  Burns,  tlie  poet,  was  suddenly  transferred  from  his 
plough  in.  Ayrshire,  to  the  poli.shed  circles  of  Edinlnu-gh,  his  case 
of  manner,  and  nice  observance  of  the  rules  of  good  breeding,  ex- 
cited much  surprise,  and  became  the  theme  of  frequent  conversa- 
tion. The  same  thing  has  been  remarked  of  Tecumtlie ;  whether 
seated  at  the  tables  of  Generals  McArthur  and  Worthington,  as  he 
was  during  the  council  at  Chillicoihe,  in  1S()7,  or  brought  in  contact 
with  British  officers  of  the  highest  grade,  his  manners  were  entirely 
free  from  vulgarity  and  coarseness:  he  was  uniformly  self-pos- 
sessed, a.id  with  the  tact  and  ease  of  deportment  which  marked 
the  poet  of  the  heart,  and  which  are  falsely  supjwsed  to  be  tlie 
result  of  ci'-'-ntion  and  refinement  only,  he  readily  accommodated 
himself  to  the  novelties  of  his  new  po.sition,  and  seemed  more 
amused  than  annoyed  by  them." 

"  llLsing  above  the  prejudices  and  customs  of  his  people,  even 
when  tho.se  prejudices  and  customs  were  tacitly  sanctioned  liy  the 


892 


AN   ESSAY   ON   TIIK  HISTORY  OF 


officers  and  agents  of  Great  Britain,  Tecumthe  was  never  kiiowii 
offer  violence  to  prisoners,  nor  to  permit  it  in  others.  So  strong 
was  his  sense  of  honor,  and  so  sensitive  his  feelings  of  humanity, 
on  this  point,  that  even  frontier  women  and  children,  throughout 
the  Avide  space  in  which  his  character  was  known,  felt  secure  from 
the  tomahawk  of  the  hostile  Indians,  if  Tecumthe  was  in  the  camp. 
A  striking  instance  of  this  confidence  is  presented  in  the  following 
anecdote.  The  British  and  Indians  were  encamped  near  the  River 
Raisin  ;  and  while  holding  a  talk  within  eighty  or  a  hundred  yards 
of  Mrs.  lluland's  house,  some  Sauks  and  Winnebagocs  entered  her 
dwelling  and  lu^gan  to  plunder  it.  She  immediately  sent  her  little 
daughter,  eight  or  nine  years  old,  requesting  Tecumthe  to  come  to 
her  assist'uu'e.  The  child  ran  to  the  council-honsc,  and  pulling 
Tecumthe,  who  was  then  sjieaking,  by  the  skirt  of  his  hunting- 
shirt,  said  to  liim,  'Come  to  our  house — there  are  bad  Indians 
there.'  Without  waiting  to  close  his  speech,  the  chief  started  for 
the  house.  On  entering,  he  was  met  liy  two  or  three  Indians, 
dragging  a  trunk  towards  the  door.  He  seized  his  tomahawk,  and 
levelled  one  of  them  at  a  blow :  they  prepared  for  resistance,  but 
no  sooner  did  they  hear  the  cry,  'Dogs!  I  am  Tecumthe  I'  than, 
under  the  Hash  of  his  indignant  eye,  they  fled  from  the  house. 
'And  you,'  said  Tecumthe,  turning  to  some  British  officers,  'are 
froise  than  dogs,  to  break  your  faith  with  prisoners.'  " — DraMs 
Life  of  Tecumthe. 

We  have  noticed  these  events  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
obstacles  which  have  embarrassed  our  Government  in  all  their 
schemes  for  extending  the  mild  and  moralizing  influence  of  our 
Christian  and  republican  principles  throughout  the  western  forests. 
With  the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  1S15  our  wars  with  the  Indians 
ceased.  The  brilliant  exploits  of  our  navy,  and  the  signal  victories 
gamed  by  our  armies  at  New  Orleans,  at  the  River  Thames,  on  the 
Niagara,  and  at  Plattsburgh,  convinced  the  British  of  the  futility 
of  their  hopes  of  conquest  on  this  continent,  and  spread  a  nniver- 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


3dS 


Sill  |)anic  among  tlio  1ril)es.  The  eyes  of  the  latter  were  opened  to 
our  power,  as  ihej  had  been  to  our  forbearance.  They  saw  that 
they  had  nothing  to  hope  from  our  weakness,  or  our  fears,  and 
much  to  gain  from  our  friendship.  Their  foreign  confederates  had 
made  peace  for  themselves,  leaving  them  no  alternative  but  to  fol- 
low the  example.  Tliey  had  either  to  submit,  or,  by  contending 
single-handed  auainst  the  victorious  troops  who  hud  defeated  their 
martial  allies,  draw  down  inevitable  destruction  on  their  own  heads. 
At  this  juncture,  the  American  Government  again  held  out  the 
olive  branch.  The  enlightened  Madison,  ever  pacific  in  his  public 
character  as  he  was  amiable  and  philanthro])ic  in  private  life, 
spared  no  pains  to  heal  the  unhappy  wounds  which  had  been 
inflicted  upon  the  mutual  peace;  and  his  successors,  by  pursuing 
the  same  policy,  have  given  permanence  to  a  system  of  amicable 
relations  between  us  and  our  mi.sguided  neighbors. 

Although  we  believe  our  system  of  relations  with  the  Indian 
tribes  to  be  radically  wrong,  and  to  be  productive  of  great  wrong 
to  them,  we  have  been  careful  to  state  distinctly  that  the  intentions 
of  our  Government,  and  the  feeling  of  the  American  people 
towards  that  unfortunate  race,  have  been  always  benevolent,  for- 
bearing, and  magnanimous.  We  deem  this  position  sufficiently 
important  to  be  deserving  of  proof,  and  in  evidence  of  the  pro- 
fessions and  intentions  of  our  Government,  from  its  commence- 
ment, we  quote  the  following  extracts  from  the  conmiunications 
of  the  respective  Presidents  to  Congress. 

We  come  now  to  consider  brieily  the  pri  "ise  charactei  of  the 
relations  of  the  American  Government  and  people  with  the  Indian 
tribes.  We  have  sliown  that  those  relations  were  sha])ed  by  the 
mother  country,  and  modified,  first  by  colonial  policy,  and  after- 
wards by  the  intrigues  of  foreign  nations.  It  became  necessary, 
therefore,  for  our  Governmeni  to  soothe  past  irritations,  and  remove 
long  settled  prejudices,  before  a  system  of  amicable  intercourse 
could  be  established  ;  and  to  this  beneficent  work  has  her  avtentiou 
60 


894 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


been  filoiulily  directed.  But  wc  shall  show  that,  with  the  very  l)est 
iiileiitioiis  towards  the  Aborigines,  our  Government  ha«  not  only 
failed  to  accomplish  its  benevolent  purj)0scs  towards  them,  but  has, 
in  fact,  done  much  poshive  wrong  to  tliem,  and  to  ourselves;  and 
reflecting  men  cannot  but  perceive  the  ruinous  tenden<!y  of  the 
policv  now  pursued,  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  speedy  and 
radical  change. 

The  existence,  within  our  territorial  limits,  of  tribes  acknow- 
ledged to  be  independent,  involves  in  itself  a  paradox ;  while  the 
details  of  our  negotiations  with  them,  and  of  our  legi.slation  witli 
respect  to  them,  are  full  of  the  strangest  contradictions.  We 
acknowledge  them  to  be  sovereign  natieus,  yet  we  forbid  them  to 
make  war  with  each  other;  we  admit  llieir  title  to  their  lands, 
their  unlimited  power  over  them  while  they  remain  theirs,  and 
their  full  possession  of  the  rights  of  self-government  within  them  ; 
yet  we  restrain  them  from  selling  those  lands  to  any  but  ourselves; 
we  treat  with  ihcin  as  with  free  states,  yet  we  plant  our  agents  and 
our  niilitarv  posts  among  them,  and  make  laws  whicli  operate 
within  their  territory.  In  our  numerous  treaties  with  them  we 
acknowledge  them  to  be  free,  both  as  nations  and  as  individuals; 
yet  we  claim  the  power  to  punish,  in  our  courts,  aggressions  com- 
mitted within  their  boundaries,  denying  to  tlicm  a  concurrent 
jurisdiction,  and  forbidding  them  from  abjudicating  in  their 
councils,  and  according  to  their  customs,  upon  the  rights  of  our 
citizens,  and  from  vindicating  the  privileges  of  their  own.  Wo 
make  distinctions,  not  merely  in  effect,  but  in  terms,  between  the 
white  man  and  the  Indian,  of  the  most  degrading  character;  and 
at  the  moment  when  our  Commissioners  are  negotiating  solemn 
leagues  with  their  chiefs,  involving  the  most  important  interests, 
pledging  to  them  the  faith  of  our  Government,  and  accepting  from 
them  similar  pledges,  we  reject  those  same  chiefs  if  offered  as 
witnesses  in  our  courts,  as  persons  destitute  of  truth — as  creatures 
'00  ignorant  to  understand,  or  too  degraded  to  practise,  the  ordinary 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


395 


rules  of  rectitude.  In  many  of  the  States,  ne<rroos,  miilattocs,  and 
Indians  are  by  law  declared  to  be  incompetent  witnesses  against  a 
white  man.  Whatever  necessity  the  institution  of  slavery  may 
impose  as  regards  the  negro  and  mulatto,  there  is  no  rey:<on  for  this 
stigma  upon  the  Indian,  and  we  apprehend  that  a  case  could  hardly 
occur  in  which  tlie  ends  of  justice  would  not  be  advanced  by  sub- 
mitting the  credibility  of  such  a  witness  to  the  jury. 

This  simple  e.Kpo.sition  of  a  few  of  the  leading  features  of  our 
intercourse  with  the  Indians  must  satisfy  every  rational  mind  that 
.so  unnatural  a  state  of  things  cannot  be  lasting;  that  any  system 
of  relations,  founded  upon  such  principles,  must  be  unjust,  un- 
profitable, and  temporary  ;  and  that  although  in  the  infoncy  of  our 
Government  it  might  have,  been  excusable  in  us  to  adopt  such  a 
policy  towards  our  savage  neighbors,  as  their  barbarities  or  our 
weakness  might  have  forced  upon  us,  it  becomes  us  now,  as  a 
great  and  enlightened  people,  to  devit;e  a  system  more  consistent 
with  our  national  dignity,  and  better  adapted  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  respective  p;u-ties. 

To  ascertain  the  exact  position  of  the  parties  in  respect  to  each 
other,  we  shall  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  a  i'ew  of  the 
treaties  and  laws  which  regulate  the  subject-matter,  confining 
ourselves  chiefly  to  tliose  which  have  been  made  most  recently. 
Our  present  system  of  Indian  relations,  although  commenced 
under  the  administration  of  General  Washington,  has  been  chiefly 
built  up  since  the  last  war  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  The  treaties  have  been  so  numerous  that  it  is  impossible, 
in  a  work  like  this,  to  enter  into  their  details,  or  to  do  more  than  to 
refer  in  a  compendious  manner  to  their  leading  features.  W'e 
shall  adopt  this  plan  as  sufficient  for  our  purpose.  The  followiu" 
propositions,  then,  will  be  found  to  contain  the  leading  principles 
of  this  anomalous  diplomacy,  and  to  have  obtainetl  admission  into 
our  treaties  with  nearly  all  the  tribes : 

1.  The  United  States  have  almost  invariably  given  presents,  in 


"1 


896 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


monrv.  urin.s,  clotliint!;,  farmiiin;  implnmonts,  and  triiiUets,  upon  the 
nt';X(>1i:iti(  II  of  ii  treaty;  anil  in  treaties  for  llie  purchase  of  terri- 
tory. «c  pay  an  e((uivalenl  for  the  hinds,  in  money  or  uiorehandise, 
or  both,  which  payment  is  generally  made  in  the  form  of  annuities, 
limited  or  j)erpetuul. 

2.  \\'lien  a  tril)e  cedes  the  territory  on  which  they  reside,  other 
territory  is  specified  Ibr  tlieir  future  occujiancy,  and  the  United 
States  guarantee  to  them  the  title  and  peaceable  possession  thereof. 

3.  The  Indians  acknowledge  themselves  to  be  under  the  ])ro- 
tection  of  the  American  Government,  and  of  no  other  power  what- 
soever. 

'1.  They  engage  not  to  make  war  with  each  otlier,  or  with  any 
foreign  power,  without  the  consent  of  the  United  States. 

5.  They  agree  to  sell  their  lands  only  to  the  United  States. 
Our  citizens  are  prohibited  by  law  from  taking  grants  of  land  from 
the  Indians;  and  an}'  transfer  or  cession  made  by  them,  cxccnt  to 
our  Government,  would  be  considered  void. 

6.  White  men  found  hunting  on  the  Indian  lands  may  be  appre- 
hended by  them,  and  delivered  up  to  the  nearest  agent  of  the 
United  States. 

7.  White  men  arc  not  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  nor  reside  in 
their  country  without  license  from  our  authorities. 

8.  An  Indian  who  commits  a  murder  upon  a  white  man  is  to  be 
delivered  up  to  be  tried  and  punished  under  our  laws;  stolen 
property  is  to  be  returned,  or  the  tribe  to  be  accountable  for  its 
value. 

9.  The  United  States  claims  the  right  of  navigation,  on  all  navi- 
gable rivers  which  pass  through  an  Indian  territory. 

10.  The  tribes  agree  that  they  will,  at  all  times,  allow  to  traders 
and  other  persons  travelling  through  their  country,  utidcr  the  au- 
thority of  the  United  States,  a  free  and  safe  passage  for  themselves 
and  their  property;  and  that  lor  such  passage  tluiy  shall  at  no  time, 
and  on  no  account  whatever,  be  subject  to  any  toll  or  exaction. 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


31)7 


11.  Slioiild  any  1ril)c  of  Iiulians,  or  otlicr  power,  lut'ditate  a  war 
a<faiiist  tli(;  United  States,  or  threaten  any  hostile  act,  and  tho  sanio 
shall  come  to  the  kiiowledi,rc  of  a  trihe  in  amity  with  the  United 
States,  the  latter  shall  give  notice  thereof  to  the  nearest  Governor 
of  a  State,  or  odicer  coinniandin<f  the  troops  of  the  United  States. 

12.  No  tril)e  in  amity  with  the  United  States  shall  supply  arms 
or  aniinvinition,  or  any  warlike  aid,  implements,  or  munition,  to  a 
trihe  not  in  amity  with  us. 

The  following  special  articles  have  been  assented  to  by  particu- 
lar tribes,  and  have  been  inserted  in  treaties  with  some  other  tribes, 
so  as  to  prevail  to  a  considerable  extent : 

"  The  United  States  demand  an  ackuowhdgment  of  the  right  to 
establish  military  posts  and  trading-houses,  and  to  open  roads 
within  the  territory  guaranteed  to  the  Creek  nsition  in  the  second 
article,  and  the  riglit  to  the  navigation  of  all  its  waters." — Treaty 
of  August  ^d,  1814. 

"  The  Shawaucsc  nation  do  acknowledge  the  United  States  to  bo 
sole  and  absolute  sovereigns  of  all  the  territory  ceded  to  them  by  a 
treaty  of  peace  made  betw"een  them  and  the  King  of  Great  Britaui, 
on  the  1 1th  January,  17SG." 

"  It  is  agreed  on  the  part  of  the  Cherokees,  that  the  United 
States  shall  have  the  sole  and  absolute  right  to  regulate  their 
trade."— Treaty  of  2d  July,  1791. 

"  Fifty-four  tracts,  of  one  mile  square  each,  of  the  land  ceded  by 
this  treaty,  .shall  be  laid  off  under  the  direction  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  sold,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  to  be 
applied  for  the  support  of  schools  for  the  education  of  the  Osage 
children."— 7Ve«///  of  2d  Ju/ic,  1825. 

"The  United  States  agree  to  furnish  at  Clarke,  for  the  use  of  the 
Osage  nation,  a  blacksmith,  and  tools  to  mend  their  arms,  and 
utensils  of  husbandry,  and  engage  to  build  them  a  horse-mill,  or 
water-mill;  also,  to  furnish  them  with  ploughs,"  &c. — Ibid. 

"  The  United   States,  immediately  after  the  ratification  of  this 


8.J8 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


(Miivciilion,  shall  cause  to  bn  fiiniislicd  to  tlit;  Kansas  nation  three 
hiindrod  head  of  cattle,  thrcu  luindiod  liojfs,  live  liiindred  dotnestic 
fowls,  throe  yoke  of  oxen  and  two  carts,  with  sncli  implements  of 
husbandry  as  the  Superintendent  of  Indian  AlVairs  iniiy  think 
necessary;  and  shall  employ  such  persons  to  aid  and  instruct 
them  in  agriculture  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  may 
deem  expedient;  and  shall  provide  and  support  a  blacksmith." — 
Treaty  of -idJime,  1825. 

"Thirty-six  sections  of  <food  land,  on  Dij.^  Blue  Jliver,  shall  bo 
laid  out  muler  the  direction  of  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  sold,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  to  lie  applied,  under  the 
direction  of  the  President,  to  the  education  of  the  Kansas  children 
within  their  nation." — Ibid. 

"The  Tetons,  Yanc^tons,  and  Yanctonics,  and  bands  of  the 
Sioux,  admit  the  right  of  the  United  Stiites  to  regulate  their 
trade." — Treat ij  of  2d  June,  1S25. 

If  we  turn  to  the  statute  books,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
spirit  of  our  legislation  in  regard  to  the  Indian  tribes,  it  will  be 
scon  that  the  leading  intctition  of  those  laws,  as  expressed  on  their 
face,  is  just  and  benevolent.  Whatever  mistakes  our  Government 
may  have  conimittctl,  and  however  their  beneficence  may  have 
been  misdirected,  it  could  never  hava  been  their  purpo.se  to  oppress 
a  people  towards  whom  they  have  u.sed  language,  such  as  we  lind 
in  the  several  acts  of  Congress,  relating  to  the  Indians,  and  of 
which  the  following  expressions  are  specimens: — "For  the  j)ur- 
f)ose  of  providing  against  the  further  decline  and  final  extinction  of 
the  Indian  tribes,  adjoining  the  frontier  settlements  of  the  United 
States,  and  for  introducing  among  them  the  habits  and  arts  of 
civilization,"  &c.  "  In  order  to  promote  the  civilization  of  the 
friendly  Indians,  and  to  secure  the  continuance  of  their  friend- 
sliip,"  &c.  The  third  article  of  an  ordinance  for  the  govern- 
ment of  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  north-west  of  the  River 
Ohio,  passed  in  1787,  runs  as  follows :    "  Religion,  morality,  and 


THI']   NORTH    A.MHIUCAN   INDIANS. 


li'M 


kiiowlcdffo  lu'inir  iicccssiiry  to  yood  ^(ivciiiiiiciit  iiiul  tlic  happiness 
of  iiiaiikiiid,  scliools  and  tlio  iiiraiis  of  t'diiculioii  shall  for  cvcsr  bo 
oucourn<.r('d.  The  utmost  fjocid  faith  sliail  always  lu;  ohscrveil 
towards  the  Indians;  tlicir  hinds  and  |)i'(ip(  rty  sliail  never  he  taken 
from  them  witliout  their  consent;  and  in  their  pro|ii'rty,  rights, 
nnd  liberty,  they  shall  never  he  invaded  or  disturbed  unless  in 
just  nnd  lawfid  wars  authorized  by  Con^rr(!ss;  but  htirs,  founded  in 
jitstirc  (iiid  Imiiianili/,  shall  from  time  to  time  be  made  for  prevent- 
ing- wrongs  heinij  done  to  them,  and  for  [ireserviiig  peace  and 
friendship  with  thein." 

These  are  noble  sentiments;  and  tla^y  represent  truly  the  feel- 
iujfs  of  the  great  body  of  the  American  |»eople  towards  the  Abori- 
gines, and  the  principles  by  which  tlu;  intercourse  with  the  Indian 
tribes  was  intended  to  be  goveriieil.  We  shall,  when  we  come  to 
inquire  what  have  been  the  resuUs  of  our  intercourse  with  tliose 
tribes,  and  whether  those  results  have  realized  the  wishes  of  the 
American  people,  and  the  intentions  of  the  Governuieiit,  refer  to 
these  extracts  as  expressing  those  wishes  and  intentions. 

We  shall  not  detail  at  large  the  statutory  provisions  to  wlach  we 
intend  to  refer,  but  will  content  ourselves  with  such  a  synojjsis  as 
will  answer  our  purpose.  Our  Indian  all'airs  arc  conducted  by 
several  superintendents,  and  a  number  of  agents  and  sub-agents, 
who  are  required  to  reside  within  their  rcs])ective  agencies,  and 
thriMigh  whom  the  Government  conducts  all  its  negotiations  w  ith 
the  tribes,  except  when  special  trusts  are  committed  to  military 
officers,  or  to  commissioners  appointed  for  the  occasion.  We  regu- 
late the  trade  with  tliem  by  statute,  rigorously  j)rohibiting  all 
ingress  into  their  country,  by  our  citizens,  or  by  foreigners,  and  all 
traffic,  except  by  special  license  from  our  authorities.  An  Indian 
who  kills  a  white  man,  or  a  white  man  who  slays  an  Indian,  are 
alike  tried  by  our  laws,  and  in  our  courts,  even  though  the  ollence 
may  have  been  committed  in  the  Indiim  territory.  Larceny,  ro'  - 
bery,  trespass,  or  other  offence,  committed  by  white  men  against 


400 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


the  Indians,  in  the  country  of  tho  latter,  is  punishable  in  our  ccurt^ 
and  where  the  o(!"ender  is  unable  to  make  restitution,  the  just  value 
of  the  property  taken  or  destroyed  is  paid  by  our  Government; 
if  a  similar  aggression  is  committed  by  an  Indian  against  a  white 
man,  the  tribe  is  held  responsible.  The  President  is  authorized  to 
furnish  to  the  tribes,  schoolmasters,  artisans,  teachers  of  husbandry, 
and  the  mechanic  arts,  tools,  implements  of  agriculture,  domestic 
animals;  and  generally  to  exert  his  influence  t;.  uilroduce  the 
habits  and  arts  of  social  life  among  them. 

Although  we  have  omitted  a  great  many  provisions  similar  to 
those  wliich  wc  have  quoted,  we  believe  that  we  have  not  passed 
over  any  thing  that  is  necessar}'  to  a  fair  exposition  of  the  princi- 
ples of  our  negotiations  with  the  Indians,  and  our  legislation  over 
them.  It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  never  claimed  the  right,  nor 
avowed  the  intention  to  extirpate  this  unhappy  race,  to  strip  them 
of  their  property,  or  to  deprive  them  of  tliose  natural  rights,  which 
we  have,  in  our  Declaration  of  Independence,  emphatically  termed 
imJi'fecisihIe.  On  the  contrary,  our  declared  purpose,  rcpeatedlj' 
and  solemnly  avowed,  has  been  to  secure  their  friendship  —  to 
ciA  ilize  them — to  give  them  the  habits  and  arts  of  social  life — to 
elevate  their  character,  and  increase  their  happiness. 

If  it  be  r.sked,  to  what  extent  these  objects  have  been  attained, 
the  answer  must  be  appalling  to  every  friend  of  humanity.  It  is 
so  seldom  that  the  energies  of  a  powerfid  government  have  been 
steadily  directed  to  the  accomplishment  of  a  benevolent  design, 
that  we  cannot,  without  deep  regret,  behold  the  exertion  of  such 
rare  beneficence  defeated  of  its  purj)osc.  Yet  it  is  most  certainly 
true,  that  notwithstanding  all  our  professions,  and  our  great  expen- 
diture of  labor  and  money,  the  Indians,  so  far  from  advancing  one 
step  in  civilization  and  happiness,  so  far  from  improving  in  their 
condition,  or  rising  in  the  scale  of  moral  being,  are  every  day 
sinking  lower  in  misery  and  barbarism.  The  virtues  wliicli  they 
cherished  in  their  aboriginal  state,  have  been  blunted  by  their  inter- 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


401 


course  with  the  whites,  and  they  luive  acMjiured  vices  which  were 
unknown  to  their  simple  progenitors.  We  take  no  account  here  of 
the  Creeks,  Cherokees,  Choctaws,  and  Chickasaws,  a  portion  of 
whom  present  an  exception  to  the  ^i-vM  body  of  the  Indians  We 
speak  of  the  wandering  tribes — of  llie  Indians  at  hirge.  who  con- 
tinue to  reject  tlie  arts  and  h:iljits  of  social  life,  who  fear  and 
despise  the  white  man,  and  tenaciously  adhere  to  all  the  ferocious 
customs  and  miserable  expedients  of  savage  life.  If  we  iiave  failed 
to  soften  their  rude  natures,  to  enlighten  their  unch'rslaudings,  or 
to  imbue  their  minds  with  any  of  our  principles  of  moral  action, 
equally  have  we  failed  to  secure  their  friendship.  We  have  tamed 
thein  into  suI)mission  by  displays  of  our  power,  or  brouirht  them 
into  subservience  with  our  inon(;y  ;  but  we  have  not  gained  their 
love  or  their  confidence 

Nor  is  this  all.  Our  system  is  not  only  inefficient,  but  it  is  posi- 
tively mischievous.  Its  direct  tendency  is  to  retard  the  civilization 
of  the  Indian.  We  have  stripped  their  nations  of  freedom,  sove- 
reignty, and  independence.  \\g  claim  the  right  to  regulate  their 
trade,  to  navigate  their  rivers,  to  have  ingress  into  their  country ; 
we  forbid  all  intercourse  with  them,  except  by  special  license  from 
our  authorities ;  we  try  them  in  our  courts  for  offences  committed 
in  their  country,  and  we  do  not  acknowledge  the  existence  of  any 
tribunal  among  them,  having  authority  to  inflict  a  penally  on  one 
of  our  citizens.  They  are  subjected  to  the  restraints,  without  en- 
joying the  privileges,  the  prelection,  or  tiie  nioral  iiilluence,  of  our 
laws.  Theirs  is,  ihercforo,  a  slate  of  subjection — of  more  vassahui^e 
— precisely  that  state  which  has  always  been  found  to  destroy  the 
energies,  and  degrade  the  chaiactei  of  a  people. 

But,  as  if  by  a  rellnement  of  cruelty,  similar  to  that  which  decks 
a  victim  in  costly  robes,  and  surrounds  iiim  with  i)leasinir  objects 
of  sense,  at  the  moment  of  execution,  wo  leave  tliem  in  the  iiuoii/ial 
possession  of  independence,  and  in  the  possession  of  all  their  long 
cherished  and  idolized  customs,  prejudices,  and  superstitions.    They 

61 


402 


AN   ESSAY    ON   THE  HISTORY  OF 


are  kept  separato  from  us,  and  tlioir  own  national  pride  natural!)! 
co-operates  with  our  injudicious  policy,  to  keep  them  for  ever  a 
distinct,  an  alien,  and  a  hostile  people.  They  gain  nothing  hy  the 
example  of  our  industry,  the  precepts  of  our  religion,  the  infl\icnce 
of  our  laws,  our  arts,  our  institutions,  for  they  see  or  feel  nothing 
of  the  salutiry  oj)eratioii  of  all  these,  and  only  know  them  in  their 
terrors  or  their  restraints.  They  are  a  subjected  people,  governed 
by  laws  in  the  making  of  which  they  have  no  voice,  and  enjoying 
none  of  the  privileges  pertaining  to  the  citizens  of  the  nation  which 
rules  them.  They  obey  their  own  laws  and  customs,  so  far  as  these 
do  not  contlict  with  our  convenience ;  and  are  left  Avithout  law,  so 
far  as  our  hiterf 'rence  is  concerned,  except  where  our  hiterest  in- 
duces us  to  stretch  over  tliem  the  arm  of  authority.  By  giving 
them  presents  and  annuities,  we  support  them  in  idleness,  and 
cherish  their  wandering  and  unsettled  habits.  We  bribe  them  into 
discontent,  by  teacliing  them  that  every  public  convention  held  tor 
the  settlement  of  misunderstandings,  is  to  bring  them  valuable 
tributes;  while  the  same  cause  trains  tlicm  iu  duplicity,  and  in- 
duces them  10  exercise  all  their  ingemiity  in  seeking  out  causes  of 
offence,  and  in  compounding  their  grievances  to  the  best  i.  tantagc. 
These  are  the  accidental,  and  unintentional,  but  unavoidable  eflects 
of  a  system,  which  is  radically  wrong,  though  devised  and  main- 
tained in  the  spirit  of  l)eu<'V()lence. 

If  all  tliis  is  faulty  in  j)rinci|)le,  it  Ts  .still  worse  in  practice.  "^I'lic 
Indian  Department  has  already  become  one  of  the  most  expensive 
branches  of  our  Government.  Our  foreign  relations  ari'  scared v 
more  cosily  than  our  negotiations  with  the  tribes.  If  the  vast  sums 
which  are  annually  laid  out  in  this  manner  were  productive  of  anv 
permanent  good  to  tlie  Indians,  no  patriot  or  Christian  woulil  regret 
the  cx[)('uditure.  But  when  we  see  our  treasure  squandered  with 
a  lavish  hand,  not  only  without  any  good  effect,  but  w  ith  great 
positive  injury  to  the  miserable  race,  whom  we  have  reduced  to  the 
state  of  dependence  upon  our  bounty,  it  is  time  to  pause.     When 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


403 


we  exainiiie  t'urtlicr,  und  see  how  large  a  portion  of  those  vast  sums 
are  intercepted  before  tlicy  reach  the  hand  of  the  red  inan — how 
much  is  expended  in  sustaining  military  posts,  paying  agents, 
transporting  merchandise,  holding  treaties,  and  keeping  in  opera- 
tion, in  various  ways,  a  vtist,  complicated,  and  useless  machinery — 
when  we  rellect  how  much  is  unavoidably  lost,  squandered,  and 
misapplied,  the  question  assumes  a  fearful  importance. 

The  British  Government,  when  attempting  to  subdue  the  fero- 
cious spirit  of  the  Scottish  Highlanders,  and  to  allure  them  to  the 
arts  of  peace,  i)rohibited  them  from  wearing  the  national  dress,  and 
from  carrying  arms,  and  used  its  influence  to  destroy  the  influence 
of  the  chieftains,  and  to  eradicate  the  use  of  the  Gaelic  language; 
because  all  these  things  tended  to  foster  the  pride  of  descent,  to 
cherish  ancient  recollections,  and  to  keep  the  clans  separate  from 
the  rest  of  the  nation,  and  from  each  other. 

Our  Government  has  pursued  a  policy  directly  the  reverse.  We 
are  continually  administering  nourishment  to  the  prejudices  of  the 
Indians,  and  keeping  alive  the  distinctions  that  separate  them  from 
us.  They  are  constantly  reminded  of  their  nominal  independence 
by  the  embassies  which  arc  sent  to  them,  imd  by  the  ridiculous 
mock  pageantry  exhibited  on  such  occasions ;  when  our  commis- 
sioners, instead  of  exerting  the  moral  influence  of  example,  comply 
with  all  their  customs,  imitate  the  style  of  their  eloquence,  and 
even  flatter  them  for  the  possession  of  the  very  propensities  which 
distinguish  them  as  savages.  So  far  from  endeavoring  to  abolish 
the  distinution  of  dress,  we  furnish  them  annually  with  immense 
quantities  of  trinkets,  cloths,  and  blankets,  made  expressly  for  their 
use,  and  diflfering  essentially  from  any  thing  that  is  worn,  or  even 
sold,  in  our  country.  Wagon  loads  of  the  most  childish  trinkets, 
and  the  most  ridiculous  toys,  are  annually  sent  tus  presents  trom 
this  great  and  benevolent  nation,  to  its  red  allies,  as  assurances  ot 
the  very  profound  respect,  and  tender  affection,  with  which  the_y 
are  regarded  by  the  American  people.     Immense  sums  of  money 


404 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


are  also  given  them  as  annuities — money  wliich  to  the  savage  is 
jicrfcctlv  valueless,  and  which  is  immediately  transferred  to  the 
trader,  in  exchange  for  whisky,  tobacco,  guniu)wder,  looking- 
glasses,  tin  bracelets,  and  ornaments  for  the  nose. 

The  idea  of  elevating  the  character  of  the  Indian,  and  softening 
down  his  asperities,  by  pampering  liis  indolence,  and  administering 
to  his  vanity,  is  supremely  ridiculous.  'J"he  marcli  of  mind  will 
never  penetrate  into  our  forests  by  tlio  beat  of  the  (h'um,  nor  will 
civilization  be  transmitted  in  bales  of  scarlet  cloth  and  glass  l)eads. 
This,  however,  is  the  natural  eifect  of  treating  with  the  Indians  in 
their  own  country,  and  carrying  our  trade  to  their  doors,  where  we 
are  in  some  measiu'e  obliged  to  comply  with  their  customs,  and  all 
our  dealin<>s  with  tlRMn  must  be  carried  on  by  men  who  are  not 
amenable  to  our  laws,  nor  surrotmded  by  the  salutary  restraints  of 
[)ub!ic  sentiment.  If,  on  the  contrary,  tlie  Indians  were  obliged  to 
resort  to  our  towns  to  supply  their  wants,  and  to  trade  with  regular 
dealers;  and  if  all  their  negotiations  with  our  oflicers  were  to  he 
conducted  within  the  boundaries  of  our  organized  governments, 
where  the  controlling  influence  of  our  laws  and  power  should  be 
distinctly  recognized,  they  would  not  only  be  better  treated,  but 
would  be  brought  into  contact  with  the  most  intelligent  and  bene- 
volent of  our  citizens,  and  imbibe  more  correct  notions  of  us  and 
our  institutions. 

There  are  other  evils  in  our  existing  system  of  Indian  relations 
which  are  inseparal)le  from  it,  and  which  imperiously  indicate  the 
necessity  of  an  entire  change. 

One  fruitful  cause  of  injustice  to  the  Indians  lies  deep  in  the 
habits  and  interests  of  our  people,  and  may  be  difficult  to  eradi- 
cate ;  but  it  is  one  of  grave  importance,  and  is  so  involved  with  the 
public  peace  and  the  national  honor  as  to  demand  the  most  serious 
attention.  The  thirst  for  new  lands  is  an  all-absorbing  passion 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  States,  and  its  operation  upon 
the   Indians   has   been    most   calamitous.      Although   living  in   a 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


405 


country  wliich  is  still  comparatively  new,  eml)racing  every  vvlicre 
large  tracts  of  wild  lauci,  their  wandering  and  enterprising  habits 
lead  them  continually  abroucl,  in  searcii  of  newer  and  fresher  lands. 
Whenever  a  boundary  is  seltUxi  between  our  territory  and  the 
Indian  lands,  the  enterprise  of  our  peoj)le  carries  the  jropulation 
up  to  the  line,  while  the  red  men,  shy  of  such  neighbors,  retire 
from  tiie  boundary,  leaving  a  wide  space  of  wilderness  between 
themselves  and  the  settlements.  A  class  of  pioneers  who  subsist 
by  luintiiig  and  rearing  cattle,  intrude  upon  tlie  lands  thus  left 
unoccupied,  and  establisii  upon  them  their  temporary  dwellings. 
Careless  in  regard  to  the  ownership  of  the  soil  they  occupy,  seek- 
ing new  and  fresh  pastures  where  theii  lierds  may  roam  at  large, 
and  forests  stocked  with  <^'ime,  tliey  pay  little  regai'd  to  boundary 
lines  or  titles.  Otiiers,  prompted  l)y  more  sordid  and  deliberate 
purposes  of  wrong,  and  looking  forward  to  the  ultimate  purchase 
of  such  territory  by  the  United  States,  traverse  it  with  the  view  of 
.selecting  the  choice  parcels,  under  the  expectation  that  Congress 
will  grant  the  right  of  pre-emption  to  actual  settlers,  and  under  the 
belief  that,  at  all  events,  their  jirior  claims  by  occupancy  will  be 
respected  by  common  consent,  when  the  country  shall  be  brought 
into  market. 

Although  these  intrusions  are  in  contravention  of  treaties  with 
the  Indians,  and  against  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  they  are  ol 
frequent  occurrence,  and  are  made  the  basis  of  urgent  claims  upon 
the  Government.  Collisions  occur  between  the  intruders  and  the 
natives,  most  usually  provoked  by  the  artful  designs  of  the  oflend- 
ing  parties,  to  accelerate  the  expulsion  of  the  rightful  pos.sessors  of 
the  country.  The  Indians  are  in^iulted  and  provoked,  and  when 
such  injuries  are  resented,  however  tardily,  and  with  whatever 
stinted  measure  of  retaliation,  a  loud  outcry  is  rai.sed  against  the 
savages;  clamorous  petitions  are  sent  to  the  Government,  settiu" 
forth  the  hostile  disposition  of  the  Indians,  the  terrors  of  border 
warfare,  and  the  danger  of  the  unprotected  settlers;  and  insistino 


406 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   IIISIOUY   OF 


npon  the  iimnediate  puixliasL'  of  tlie  torritory,  and  the  removal  of 
the  Indians  to  otiier  liiiiitiiiif-grounds.  But  one  party  is  heard  ai 
Washington ;  and  its  bold  as^•crtion^,  being  uncontradicted,  are 
believed.  A  treaty  is  ordered  to  be  held,  which  is  equivalent  to 
saying  to  the  red  men,  that  it  is  the  will  of  the  American  people 
that  they  should  remove  the  lodges  further  to  the  west. 

Tlic  Indians,  thus  urged,  and  soured  by  antecedent  provocation, 
demand  an  exorbitant  price;  but  the  emergency  admits  of  no  delay, 
and  the  territory  is  piuxhased  on  their  own  terms.  The  scene 
which  ensues  fully  discloses  the  moving  springs  of  the  operation. 
No  .sooner  is  the  land  brought  into  market,  tiian  Congress  is  called 
uj)on  to  grant  pre-emption  rights  to  actual  settlers.  True,  these 
actual  settlers  are  obviously  intruders,  violators  of  law,  having  cer- 
tainly no  title  to  a  preference  over  other  citizens;  but  their  case  is 
so  stated  as  to  make  them  appear  a  meritorious  class,  and  their 
claims  are  urged  with  zealous  pertinacity.  The  nation  is  made  to 
ring  with  the  merits  and  sufferings  of  the  iiardy  men,  who  have 
marched  in  the  van  of  civilization,  braving  the  Indian  and  the  beast 
of  prey ;  and  much  is  said  of  the  injustice  of  permitting  others  to 
purchase  the  farms  of  this  meritorious  class.  Pre-emption  rights 
are  granted,  and  the  violators  of  the  law  are  secured  in  the  fruits  of 
their  aggression.  And  who  are  the  gainers  by  a  transaction  com- 
mencing in  bad  faith  to  the  Indian,  compromiting  tlie  justice  and 
the  honor  of  the  nation,  and  ending  in  rewarding  our  own  citizens 
for  breaking  our  laws  ?  When  the  pre-emptions  come  to  be  entered 
at  the  land  offices,  the  larger  portion  of  them  are  found  to  be  in  the 
hands  of  a  few  sagacious  speculators,  whose  hands  may  be  traced 
throughout  the  whole  of  this  iniquitous  proceeding,  and  who  amass 
fortunes.  And  it  not  unfrequently  happens  that,  before  the  whole 
of  this  sclieme  can  ha  compassed,  a  war  must  be  fought — a  war 
fraught  with  indescribable  horrors,  witli  domestic  mi.sery,  personal 
sacrifice,  vast  loss  of  life,  and  immense  expense  to  the  public. 

It  is  an  unfortunate  consequence  also,  inseparable  from  this  kind 


THE  NORTH  AMEUICAN  INDIANS. 


407 


of  intercourse,  tliat  it  gives  eiiiployiiient  to  a  numerous  body  of 
(inofTieiul  and  irresponsible  agents.  At  all  the  treaties  with  the 
Indians,  especially  those  held  for  the  i)iircliase  of  land,  a  number 
of  white  men  are  found  present,  w  ho  by  some  means  or  other  have 
acquired  influence  with  the  tribes,  or  with  particular  chiefs.  They 
ure  usually  traders  or  interpreters,  who  have  lived  long  enough 
among  the  Indians  to  have  become  familiar  with  their  lan<Tua"-e  and 
customs,  and  personally  acquainted  with  tiie  individuals  composing 
tlie  tribe.  A  part  of  these  men  usually  advocate  tlie  treaty  as  pro- 
posed by  the  Government,  while  others  again  oppose  it,  and  both 
arc  exceedingly  a.ssiduous  in  making  converts  among  the  chiefs  and 
influential  braves.  The  first  party  are  those  who  have  been  con- 
vinced by  the  arguments  of  the  speculators;  the  others  are  those 
who  are  still  open  to  conviction.  What  arguments  are  used  to 
gain  their  suffrages,  we  are  not  able  from  personal  observation  to 
state :  but  the  fact  is,  that  in  the  end  the  treaty  is  usually  made  as 
proposed. 

In  the  public  councils,  in  which  the  Indians  transact  their  busi- 
ness, the  chiefs  and  head  men,  who  are  the  ostensible  actors,  are 
merely  the  exponents  of  the  public  will.  The  tribe  is  a  pure 
democracy,  in  which  every  individual  has  a  right  to  vote,  and  in 
which  the  individuals  are  in  fact  consulted.  It  is  singular,  that 
under  such  circumstances,  the  deliberations  of  an  Indian  council 
are  always  harmonious,  and  the  decision  almost  invariablv  unani- 
mous. These  results  are  attributable  in  part  to  ttie  decorum  which 
jjcrvades  these  assemblages,  in  which  a  speaker  is  never  inter- 
rupted, nor  contradicted,  and  where  no  ones  peaks  without  pre- 
vious careful  preparation.  But  another  reason  for  the  harmonious 
operation  of  the  council  is,  that  the  business  is  mostly  adjusted  out 
of  doors.  The  leading  men  consult  their  respective  followers  .sepa- 
rately, confer  with  each  other,  and  agree  on  measures  before  going 
into  council;  so  that  the  speeches  uttered  there,  are  rather  intended 


408 


AN    ESSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY   OK 


for  ofR'ct,  or  to  announce  conclusions  already  formed,  tliun  1o  per 
.suade  or  convince  the  audience. 

This  mode  of  proceeding  affords  great  advantages  to  those  wlic 
tamper  with  the  leading  men,  who  are  easily  approached  hy  means 
of  bribes,  or  warped  by  insidious  appeals  to  their  passions  or  pre- 
judices. Some  inference  may  be  drawn  as  to  the  character  of  the 
appliances  used  in  this  di])lomcy,  from  the  procedure  which  is  not 
unusual  on  occasions  of  this  kind.  When  they  first  assemble,  the 
greater  number  of  the  chiefs  arc  commonly  opposed  to  the  cession 
of  their  lands.  They  sit  in  council  with  solemn  and  forbidding 
countenances,  and  are  taciturn  and  inaccessible:  one  after  another, 
occasionally  expressing  his  aversion  to  the  proposed  transfer,  in 
brief,  sententious,  and  pithy  remarks,  in  which  the  rapacity  of  the 
white  man,  the  wrongs  of  the  Indians,  and  their  veneration  for  the 
bones  of  their  ancestors,  form  the  leading  topics.  Presently,  during 
a  recess  of  the  council,  one  of  these  leaders  receives  a  present  of  a 
giui,  or  a  pair  of  pistols,  from  sonic  individual,  which  he  receives 
with  apparent  indifference,  hinting  at  the  same  time  that  there  are 
other  articles,  which  he  names,  of  whicli  he  stands  in  equal  need; 
Mhich  of  course  are  added,  until  the  wily  savage  professes  to  be 
satisfied,  that  perhaps,  after  all,  it  would  be  best  for  his  people  to 
agree  to  the  treaty.  The  same  process  is  ri^jieated  in  regard  tf) 
others,  including  the  common  Indians,  and  not  forgetting  tlie  women 
and  children,  until  good  humor  is  diffused  throughout  the  assem- 
blage. After  this  the  harangues  are  delivered,  which  sometimes 
appear  in  print,  and  finally  a  unanimous  result  is  obtained.  We  do 
not  aver  that  these  practices  obtain  now,  or  that  they  are  sanctioned 
by  the  conunissioners  who  represent  the  Government;  but  we  assert 
that  such  means  have  been  effectually  employed  in  some  instances, 
and  that  they  are  unavoidable  under  the  present  system  of  relations 
between  the  white  and  red  men.  The  Government  does  not,  and 
cannot  control  the  intercourse,  while  a  numerous  band  of  mercenary 
men,  not  resjionsible  to  it,  are  permitted  to  influence  the  savage 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


■lOD 


mind,  and  while  no  effectual  restraint  is  iin|)()sed  iij)on  the  fell  spirit 
of  speculation,  which  first  intrudes  on  the  lands  ol'  the  Indian,  and 
then  institutes  a  scries  of  intrigues  to  dispossess  the  savage  of  the 
soil,  and  defraud  the  Government  of  the  price,  by  means  of  grants 
and  pre-emptions. 

As  we  have  asserted  that  the  policy  of  our  Government,  and  the 
intentions  of  the  American  people  towards  the  Indians  have  been 
uniformly  just  and  benevolent,  we  shall  Cv.ncludc  our  remarks  on 
this  branch  of  the  subject  by  quoting  a  few  passages  from  the 
official  communications  of  the  several  Presidents  to  Congress, 
which  will  show  conclusively  the  tone  of  public  feeling  towards 
that  race,  and  must  satisfy  the  most  sceptical  that  whatever  mis- 
takes may  have  been  made,  and  whatever  wrong  the  Aborigines 
may  have  suffered,  no  deliljerate  purpose  to  oppress  or  injure  them 
has  ever  been  entertained  by  the  Government  or  people. 

From  President  Washington' s  Address  to  Congress,  of  Nov.  6,  1792. 

"  You  will,  I  am  persuaded,  learn  with  no  less  concern  than  I 
communicate  it,  tliat  reiterated  endeavors  towards  effecting  a  pacifi- 
cation have  hitherto  issued  only  in  new  and  outrageous  proofs  of 
persevering  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  tribes  with  whom  we  are  in 
contest.  An  earnest  desire  to  procure  tranquillity  to  the  frontier, 
to  stop  the  further  effusion  of  blood,  to  arrest  the  progress  of 
expense,  to  forward  tiie  prevalent  wish  of  the  nation  for  peace,  has 
led  to  strenuous  efforts,  through  various  channels,  to  accomplisli 
these  desirable  purposes;  in  making  which  efforts,  I  consulted  less 
my  own  anticiptitions  oi'tlie  event,  or  the  scruples  which  some  con- 
siderations were  calculated  to  inspire,  than  the  wish  to  find  the 
object  attainable,  or  if  not  attainable,  to  ascertain  unequivocally 
that  sucli  was  the  case."  *  *  *  * 

"I  cannot  dismiss  the  sul)ject  of  Indian  affairs  without  again 
recommending  to  your  consideration  the  expediency  of  more  ade- 
quate provisions  for  giving  energy  to  the  laws  throughout  oui 


410 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTOUY   OP' 


interior  frontier,  and  lor  restraining  tlie  commission  of  outrages 
upon  the  Indians,  without  whidi  all  pacific  plans  must  prove 
nugatory.  To  enable,  by  competent  rewards,  the  em])loyment  of 
(pialified  and  trusty  persons  to  reside  among  them  as  agents,  woidd 
also  contribute  to  the  preservation  of  peace  and  good  neighborhood. 
If,  in  addition  to  tliese  expedients,  an  eligible  plan  could  be  devised 
for  promoting  civilization  among  the  friendly  tribes,  and  for  carry- 
ing on  trade  with  them  upon  a  scale  equal  to  their  wants,  and 
under  regulations  calculated  to  protect  them  from  imposition  and 
extortion,  its  inlluence  in  cementing  tiieir  interests  with  ours  could 
not  but  be  considerable."  *  *  *  * 

"When  we  contemplate  the  war  on  our  frontiers,  it  may  be  truly 
affirmed  that  every  reasonable  clTort  has  lieen  made  to  adjust  the 
causes  of  dissension  with  the  Indians  north  of  the  Ohio.  The 
instructions  given  to  the  commissioners  evince  a  moderation  and 
equity  proceeding  from  a  sincere  love  of  peace,  and  a  liberality 
having  no  restriction  but  the  essential  interests  and  dignity  of  the 
United  States." 

From  Presuhnt  Adams's  Address  to  Congress,  of  Nov.  23,  1797. 

"  In  connection  with  this  unpleasant  slate  of  things  on  our 
western  frontier,  it  is  proper  for  me  to  mention  the  attempts  ot 
foreign  agents  to  alienate  the  affections  of  the  Indian  nations,  and 
to  excite  them  to  actual  hostilities  against  the  L'nited  States. 
Great  activity  has  been  exerted  by  tliose  jiersons  who  have 
insinuated  themselves  among  the  Indian  tribes  residing  within 
the  territory  of  the  United  States,  to  inlluence  them  to  transfer 
their  affections  and  force  to  a  foreign  nation,  to  form  them  into  a 
confederacy,  and  prepare  them  for  a  war  against  the  United  Stiites. 
Although  measures  have  been  taken  to  counteract  these  infractions 
of  our  rights,  to  prevent  Indian  lui.slililies,  and  to  preserve  entire 
their  attachment  to  the  United  States,  it  is  my  duty  to  observe,  that 
to  give  a  better  effect  to  these  measures,  and  to  obviate  the  conse- 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


411 


quences  oi  a  repetition  of  such  i)rii(ni(;es,  a  luw,  providiiiif  !i(le(|ii:ito 
punishment  for  sucli  olFences,  may  be  ueuossar) ." 

From  President  Jt-Jfason's  Message  of  Jamiary  28,  1803. 

"  These  people  are  becoming  very  sensible  of  the  baneful  effects 
produced  on  their  morals,  their  health,  and  existence,  by  the  abuse 
of  ardent  spirits,  and  some  of  them  earnestly  desire  a  prohibition 
of  that  article  from  being  carried  among  them.  The  Legislature 
will  consider  whether  the  effectuating  that  desire  would  not  be  in 
the  spirit  of  benevolence  and  liberality  which  they  have  hitherto 
practised  towards  these  our  neighbors,  and  which  has  had  so  happy 
an  effect  towards  conciliating  their  friendship.  It  has  been  found, 
too,  in  e.\[)erience,  that  the  same  abuse  gives  frequent  rise  to  inci- 
dents tentling  much  to  commit  our  peace  with  the  Indians." 

From  rresidenl  Jefferson's  Message  of  October  17,  1803. 

"  The  friendly  tribe  of  Kaskaskia  Indians,  with  which  we  have 
never  had  a  difference,  reduced,  by  the  wars  and  wants  of  savage 
life,  to  a  few  individuals,  unable  to  defend  themselves  against  the 
neighboring  tribes,  has  transferred  its  country  to  iJie  United  States, 
reserving  only  for  its  members  what  is  sufficient  to  maintain  them 
in  an  agricultural  way.  The  considerations  stipulated  are,  that  we 
shall  extend  to  them  our  patronage  and  protection,  and  give  them 
certain  annual  aids,  in  money,  in  implements  of  agriculture,  and 
other  articles  of  their  choice.  *  *  *  * 

"  With  many  other  of  the  Indian  tribes  improvements  in  agri- 
culture and  household  manufacture  are  advancing,  and  with  all  our 
peace  and  friendship  are  established,  on  grounds  much  firmer  than 
heretofore.  The  measure  adopted  of  establishing  trading-houses 
among  them,  and  in  furnishing  them  necessaries  in  exchange  for 
Iheir  commodities  at  such  moderate  prices  as  to  leave  no  gain,  but 
cover  us  from  loss,  has  the  most  conciliatory  and  useful  effect 


•112 


AN  KSSAY  ON   TIIIO  IIISTOKV  OF 


upnii  lliciii,  iiiid  is  tlmt  wliidi  will  bt'st  secure  tlioir  peace  iinJ 
good-will." 

Extract  from  Pnsident  Jr [far  sons  Missngr  of  Xorcmbcr  8,  1804. 

"By  piirsuiiiff  u  unilbrin  course  of  justice  towards  tlieiri,"  [the 
Indians,]  "I))'  aitliiig  tlicnii  in  all  tin;  improvements  which  can 
hotter  their  condition,  and  especially  by  estahlisliinir  a  conmierco 
on  terms  which  siiall  he  advantageous  to  them,  and  oidy  not  losing 
to  us,  and  so  regulated  ;is  that  no  incendiaries  of  our  own,  or  any 
other  nation,  may  he  permitted  to  disturb  the  natural  elFcots  of  our 
just  and  friendly  ollices,  we  may  render  ourselves  so  necessary 
to  their  condort  and  prosperity,  tlmt  the  protection  of  our  citizens 
from  their  disorderly  members  will  become  their  interest  and  their 
voliuitary  care.  Instead,  therefore,  of  an  augmentation  of  military 
force,  pro[)ortioned  to  our  extent  of  frontier,  I  projuwed  a  moderate 
enlargement  of  the  capital  employed  in  that  commerce,  as  a  more 
effectual,  economical,  and  humane  instrument  for  preserving  peace 
and  good  neighborhood  with  them." 

Extract  from  President  Jefferson  a  Messatje  of  Xovember  8,  190S. 

"  With  our  Indian  neighliors  the  public  ])cace  has  been  steadily 
maintained.  Some  instances  of  individual  wrong  have,  as  at  othei 
times,  taken  place,  but  in  no  wi.se  inii)licating  the  will  of  the 
nation.  Beyond  the  Mississippi,  the  loways,  the  Sacs,  and  the 
Alabamas  have  delivered  up,  for  trial  and  punishment,  individuals 
from  among  themselves,  accused  of  murdeiir;g  citizens  of  the 
United  States.  On  this  side  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Creeks  are 
exerting  themselves  to  arrest  offenders  of  iho  same  kind ;  the 
Choctaws  have  manifested  their  readiness  and  desire  for  amicable 
and  just  arrangements  respecting  depredations  committed  by  dis- 
orderly persons  of  their  tril)e.  And  generally,  from  a  conviction 
that  we  consider  them  as  part  of  ourselves,  anil  cherish  with 
sincerity  their  rights  and  interests,  the  attachment  of  the  Indian 


Tin:   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


4ia 


trilu's  is  ^'iiiiiiriLf  .slicii^tli  diiily,  is  cxluiuliri'^f  tVoiii  tlio  iieuror  to 
tlio  more  rciiiolf,  iiiid  will  !iin|ily  ruijiiilo  us  for  tlio  jiistico  uiid 
frioiulsliip  i)rai;tise(l  towards  tlioirj." 

Extract  from  Presiihnt  Madisoiis  Mi ssfifjc  of  December  7,  181^. 

"  TIio  cruelly  of  the  enemy  in  eiilistiiii;  tlie  siiviij^es  into  a  war 
with  a  nation  desirous  of  mutual  emulation  in  miti^ratimr  its 
calamities,  has  not  been  conliued  to  any  one  (juarter.  Wherever 
they  could  ho  turned  against  us  no  exertions  to  eflect  it  have  been 
spared.  On  «)ur  south-western  border  the  Creek  tril)es,  who,  yield- 
in<r  to  our  per.severiufj;  endeavors,  were  gradually  acquiring  more 
civilized  habits,  became  the  unfortunate  victims  of  seduction.  A 
war  in  that  (juarter  has  been  the  conse(iueuce,  inluriatcd  by  a 
bloody  fanaticism  recently  propagated  among  them.  It  was 
necessary  to  crush  such  a  war  bcfon;  it  could  spread  among 
the  contiguous  triiies,  and  before  it  could  favor  enterprises  of 
the  enemy  into  that  vicinity.  \\'ith  this  view,  a  force  was  called 
into  tlie  service  of  the  United  States  from  the  States  of  G(!orgia 
and  Tennessee,  which,  with  the  nearest  regular  troops,  and  other 
corps  from  the  Mississippi  Territory,  might  not  only  chastise  the 
savages  into  pVesent  peace,  but  make  a  lasting  impression  on 
their  fears. 

"  The  systematic  perseverance  of  the  enemy  in  courting  the 
aid  of  the  savages  on  all  quarters,  had  the  natural  eflect  of  kindling 
their  ordhiary  propensity  to  war  into  a  jjassion,  which,  even  among 
those  best  disposed  towards  the  United  States,  was  ready,  if  not 
employed  on  our  side,  to  be  turned  against  us.  A  departure  from 
our  protracted  forbearance  to  accept  the  services  tendered  by  them 
has  thus  been  forced  upon  us.  But  in  yielding  to  it  the  retaliation 
has  been  mitigated  as  much  as  possible,  both  in  its  extent  and  in 
its  character,  stopping  far  short  of  the  example  of  the  enemy,  wdio 
owe  the  advantages  they  have  occasionally  gained  in  battle  chiefly 
to  the   number  of  their  savage   associates;    and   who   have   uoi 


HI 


414 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


controlled  them  either  from  their  usual  practice  of  indiscriminate 
massacre  on  defenceless  inhabitants,  or  from  scenes  of  carnage 
without  a  parallel  on  prisoners  to  the  British  arms,  guarded  by  all 
the  laws  of  humanity  and  of  honorable  war.  For  these  enormities 
the  enemy  are  equally  responsible,  whether  with  the  power  to 
prevent  them  they  want  the  will,  or  with  the  knowledge  of  a  want 
of  power  they  still  avail  themselves  of  such  instruments." 

Extract  from  President  Madisotis  Message  of  December  3,  1816. 

"The  Indian  trjljes  within  our  limits  appear  also  disposed  to 
remain  at  peace.  From  several  of  them  jjurchases  of  land  have 
been  made,  particularly  favorable  to  the  wishes  and  security  of 
our  frontier  sotllements,  as  well  as  to  the  general  interests  of  the 
nation.  In  some  instamvs  the  titles,  though  not  supi)ortcd  by  due 
proof,  and  clashing  those  of  one  trilje  with  the  claims  of  anotlier, 
have  been  extinguished  by  double  purchases,  the  benevolent  policy 
of  tiie  United  States  preferring  the  augmented  expense  to  the 
Lizard  of  doing  injustice,  or  to  the  enforcement  of  justice  against  a 
feeble  and  untutored  people  by  means  involving  or  threatening  an 
effusio.x  of  blood.  J.  am  happy  to  add  that  the  tranquillity  which 
has  been  restored  among  the  tribes  themselves,  as  well  as  between 
them  and  our  own  population,  will  favor  the  resumption  of  the 
work  of  civilization  which  has  made  an  encouraging  ])rogress 
among  some  tribes,  and  that  the  facility  is  increasing  for  extend- 
ing that  divided  and  individual  ownership,  which  exists  now  in 
movable  property  only,  to  the  soil  itself;  and  "^f  thus  establishing 
in  the  culture  and  improvement  of  it,  the  true  foundation  for  a 
transit  from  the  habits  of  the  savage  to  the  arts  and  comforts  of 
social  life." 


Extract  from  President  Monroes  Message,  December  2,  1817. 

"From  several  of  the  Indian  tribes  inhabiting  the  country  bor- 
dering on  Lake  Erie,  purchases  have  been  made  of  lauds  on  condi- 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


415 


tions  very  favorable  to  the  United  States,  and  it  is  presumed  not 
less  so  to  the  tribes  themselves. 

"  By  these  purchases  the  Indian  title,  with  moderate  reservations, 
has  been  extinguished  to  the  whole  of  the  land  within  the  State  of 
Ohio,  and  to  a  great  part  of  that  of  Michigan  Territory,  and  of  the 
State  of  Indiana.  From  the  Cherokee  tribe  a  tract  has  been  pur- 
chased in  tlie  State  of  Georgia,  &c.  &c.  *  *  * 

"  By  these  acquisitions,  and  others  that  may  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected soon  to  follow,  we  shall  he  enabled  to  extend  our  settlements 
from  the  hdiabited  parts  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  along  Lake  Erie, 
into  the  Michigan  Tciiitory,  and  to  connect  our  settlements  by  de- 
grees, through  the  State  of  Indiana  and  the  Illinois  Teriitory,  to 
that  of  Missouri.  A  similar  and  equally  advantageous  effect  will 
soon  be  produced  to  the  South,  through  the  whole  extent  of  the 
States  and  territory  which  border  on  the  waters  emptying  into  the 
Mississippi  and  Mobile.  In  this  progress,  wliicli  the  rights  of 
nature  demand  and  nothing  can  prevent,  marking  a  growth  rapid 
and  gigantic,  it  is  our  duty  to  make  new  efforts  for  the  preserva- 
tion, improvement,  and  civilization  of  the  native  inhabitants.  The 
hunter  state  can  exist  only  in  the  vast  unciiltivtited  desert.  It 
yields  to  the  more  dense  and  compac;  form,  and  greater  force  of 
civilized  population;  and  of  right  it  ought  to  yi'.ld,  for  the  earth 
was  given  to  mankind  to  siipjiort  the  greatesi  number  of  \Thich  it  is 
capable,  and  no  tribe  or  people  have  a  right  to  withhold  from  the 
wants  of  otliers  more  than  is  necessary  for  their  ouii  support  and 
comfort.  It  is  gratit^ying  to  know  that  the  reservation  of  land  made 
by  the  treaties  with  the  tribes  on  Lake  Erie,  were  made  with  a 
view  to  individual  owjiersliip  among  them,  and  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil  by  all,  and  that  an  annual  stipend  has  been  pledged  to 
siipjilv  their  other  wants. 

'It  will  merit  tlie  consideration  of  Congress,  whether  other  |)ro- 
vision  not  stipulated  uy  the  treaty  ought  to  be  made  for  these 
tribes,  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  liberal  and  humane  policy 


416 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


of  the  United  States  towards  all  the  tribes  within  our  limits, 
and  more  particularly  for  their  improvement  in  the  arts  of  civilized 
life." 


Extract  from  President  Monroe's  Message,  November  17,  1&18. 

"  With  a  view  to  the  security  of  our  inland  frontiers  it  has  been 
thouirht  expedient  to  establish  strong  posts  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellow  Stone  River,  and  at  the  Mandan  village  on  the  Missouri, 
and  at  tlie  mouth  of  St.  Peter's  o!i  the  Mississippi,  at  no  great  dis- 
lauce  from  our  northern  boundaries.  It  can  hardly  be  presumed, 
while  such  posts  are  maintained  in  the  rear  of  the  Indian  tribes, 
that  they  will  venture  to  attack  our  peacealile  inhabitants.  A  strong 
hojjc  is  entertained  that  this  measure  will  likewise  be  productive  of 
much  good  to  the  tribes  themselves ;  especially  in  promoting  the 
great  object  of  their  civilization.  Experience  has  clearly  demon- 
strated tliat  independent  savage'  communities  cannot  long  exist 
within  the  limits  of  a  civilized  population.  I'lie  j)rogress  of  the 
latter  has  almost  invariably  terminated  in  the  extinction  of  the  for- 
mer, especially  of  the  tribes  belonging  to  our  portion  of  this  hemi- 
sphere, among  whom  loftiness  of  sentiment  and  gallantry  in  action 
have  been  conspicuous.  To  civilize  them,  and  even  to  prevent 
,  their  extinction,  it  seems  to  be  indisjiensaljle  that  their  independ- 
ence as  communities  should  cease,  and  that  the  control  of  the 
United  States  over  them  should  be  complete  and  undisputed.  The 
hunter  state  will  then  be  more  easily  abandoned,  and  recourse  will 
be  had  to  the  acquisition  and  culture  of  land,  and  to  other  pursuits 
tending  to  dissolve  the  ties  which  connect  them  together  as  a  savage 
community,  and  to  give  a  new  eliaracter  to  every  individual.  I 
present  this  subject  to  the  consideration  of  Congress,  on  the  pre- 
sunij)tion  that  it  may  be  tbund  exjx'dient  and  practicable  to  adopt 
some  benevolent  provisions,  having  these  objects  in  view,  relative 
tn  the  tribes  within  our  settlement's." 


THK   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


417 


Extract  from  President  Monroe's  Messafje,  Nocemhcr  14,  1820. 

"With  the  Indians  peace  has  been  preserved,  and  a  progress 
made  in  carrying  into  effect  the  "ict  of  Congress,  making  an  appro- 
priation for  their  civihzation,  with  a  prospect  of  favorable  results. 
As  connected  equally  with  both  these  ol)jects,  our  trade  with  those 
tribes  is  thought  to  merit  the  attention  of  Congress.  In  their  ori- 
ginal state,  game  is  their  sustenance  and  war  their  occupation,  and 
if  they  find  no  employment  from  civilized  powers,  they  destroy 
eacli  other.  Left  to  themselves,  their  extirpation  is  inevitable. 
By  a  judicious  regulation  of  our  trade  with  them,  we  supply  their 
wants,  administer  to  their  comforts,  and   gradually,  as  the  game 

iircs,  draw  them  to  us.  By  maintaining  posts  far  in  the  interior, 
we  acquire  a  more  thorour^h  and  direct  ronlrol  over  them,  witliout 
which  it  is  confidently  believed  that  a  complete  change  in  their 
maimers  can  never  be  accomplished.  By  such  posts,  aided  by  a 
proper  regulation  of  our  trade  with  them,  and  a  judicious  civil  ad- 
ministration over  them,  to  be  provided  foi-  by  law,  we  shall,  it  is 
presumed,  be  enabled  not  only  to  protect  our  own  settlements  from 
their  savage  incursions,  and  to  preserve  peace  among  the  several 
tribes,  but  accomplish  also  the  great  purpose  of  their  civilization." 

Extract  from  the  Message  of  President  Adams,  of  December  2,  182S. 

"  The  attention  of  Congress  is  particularly  invited  to  that  part 
of  the  I .  '^ ,  rt  of  the  Secretary  of  Wai',  which  concerns  the  existing 
svsl.  i)  '  '^■■s  relations  with  the  Indian  tribes.  At  the  establish- 
mci -i  i;'  '.}i  ■  b  deral  Government  under  the  present  Constitution  of 
the  Unit^  '  Stales,  the  principle  was  adopted  of  considering  them 
as  foreign  ana  independent  powers,  and  also  as  proprietors  of  the 
land.  They  were,  moreover,  considered  as  savages,  whom  it  was  our 
policy  and  our  dut'  to  use  our  infiuence  in  converting  to  Christi- 
anity, and  in  bringing  within  the  pale  of  civilization. 

As  independent  powers,  we  negotiated  witl'  '.liem  by  treaties;  as 
proprietors,  we  purchased  from  them  all  the  lands  which  we  could 

63 


418 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


prevail  upon  them  to  soil ;  as  brcthrca  of  the  luiinuu  race  rude  and 
ignorant,  \vc  endeavored  to  bring  them  to  the  knowledge  of  religion 
and  letters.  The  ultimate  design  was  to  incorporate  in  our  own 
institutions  that  portion  of  thcni  which  could  be  converted  to  the 
state  of  civilization.  In  the  practice  of  European  states,  before  our 
Revolution,  they  had  been  considered  as  children  to  be  governed; 
as  tenants  at  discretion,  to  be  disj)ossessed  as  occasion  might  re- 
quire ;  as  hunters,  to  be  indc^mnified  by  trifling  concessions  for 
removal  from  the  gromi  ^  'Mion  which  their  game  was  extirpated. 
In  changing  the  system,  •!  seem  as  if  a  full  contemplation 

of  the  consequences  of  the  c  iige  liad  not  been  taken.  We  have 
been  far  more  successful  in  the  acquisition  of  their  lands  than  in 
imparting  to  them  the  principles,  or  inspiring  them  with  the  spirit 
of  civilization.  But  in  appropriating  to  ourselves  their  hunting- 
grounds,  we  have  brought  uj)on  ourselves  the  obligation  of  provid- 
ing for  their  subsistenc- ;  and  when  we  have  had  the  rare  good 
fortune  of  teaching  them  the  arts  of  civilization,  and  the  doctrines 
of  Christianity,  «c  have  unexpectedly  found  them  forming  in  the 
midst  of  ourselves  communities  claiming  to  be  independent  of  ours, 
and  rivals  of  sovereignty  within  the  territories  of  the  members  of 
the  Union.  This  state  of  things  requires  that  a  remedy  should  bo 
provided  ;  a  remedy  which,  while  it  shall  do  justice  to  these  unfor- 
tunate children  of  nature,  may  secure  to  the  members  of  our  con- 
federation their  rights  of  sovereignty,  and  of  soil." 


Extract  from  President  Jaclisons  Measagr  of  December  S,  I  s-29. 

"The  condition  and  ulterior  destiny  of  the  Indian  trilxs  within 
the  limits  of  some  of  our  States  have  become  objects  of  much  in- 
terest and  importance.  It  has  long  been  the  policy  of  Government 
to  introduce  among  them  tlie  arts  of  civilization,  in  the  hope  of  gra- 
dually reclaiming  them  from  a  wandering  life.  'I'his  policy  has, 
however,  been  coupled  with  another  wholly  incompatible  with  its 
sncce.ss.     Professing  a  desire  to  civilize  and  settle  them,  we  have  at 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


419 


the  r.ume  lime  lost  no  opportunity  to  purchase  their  lands,  and 
thrust  them  i'urther  into  the  wilderness.  By  this  means  they  have 
not  only  been  kept  in  a  wandering  state,  but  been  led  to  look  upon 
us  as  unjust  and  indifferent  to  their  fate.  Thus,  though  lavish  in 
its  expenditures  upon  the  subject,  Government  has  constantly  de- 
feated its  own  policy ;  and  the  Indians,  in  general,  receding  further 
and  further  to  the  west,  have  retained  their  savage  habits.  A  por- 
tion, however,  of  the  southern  tribes,  having  mingled  much  with 
tlie  whites,  and  made  some  progress  in  the  arts  of  civilized  life, 
have  lately  attempted  to  erect  an  indej)cndent  government  within 
the  limits  of  Georgia  and  Alabama.  These  States,  claiming  to  be 
tl'.e  only  sovereigns  within  their  territories,  extended  tlusir  laws  over 
the  Indians,  which  induced  the  latter  to  call  upon  the  United  States 
for  protection. 

"  Under  these  circumstances,  the  question  presented  was,  whether 
the  General  Government  had  a  rigiit  to  sustain  those  people  in 
their  pretensions?  The  Constitution  declares,  that  "no  new  State 
shall  be  formed  or  erected  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  other 
State,"  without  the  consent  of  its  Legislature.  If  the  General  Go- 
vernment is  not  permitted  to  tolerate  the  erection  of  a  confederate 
state  within  the  territory  of  one  of  the  members  of  this  Union, 
against  her  consent,  much  less  could  it  allow  a  foreign  and  inde- 
pendent government  to  establish  itself  there.  Georgia  became  a 
moniber  of  the  confederacy  which  eventuated  in  our  federal  Union, 
as  a  sovereign  State,  always  asserting  her  claim  to  certain  limits, 
whicli,  having  been  originally  defined  in  lier  colonial  charter,  and 
subsequently  recognized  in  the  treaty  of  peace,  she  has  (>ver  since 
continued  to  enjoy,  except  as  they  have  been  circumscribed  by  her 
own  voluntary  transfer  of  a  portion  of  her  territory  to  the  United 
States,  in  the  articles  of  ce.ssion  of  1802.  Alabama  was  admitted 
into  the  Union  on  the  same  footing  with  the  original  States,  with 
boundaries  which  were  prescribed  by  Congress.  There  is  no  con- 
stitutional, conventional,  or  legal  provision,  which  allows  them  les» 


420 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


power  over  the  Indians  within  their  borders,  tlian  is  possessed  Ijy 
Maine  or  New  York.  Would  the  people  of  Maine  permit  the 
Penobscot  tribe  to  erect  an  independent  government  within  their 
State?  and  unless  they  did,  would  it  not  be  the  duty  of  the  fieneral 
Government  to  supj)ort  them  in  resisting  such  a  measure  ?  Would 
the  people  of  New  York  permit  each  renuiant  of  the  Six  Nations 
within  her  borders,  to  declare  it^tlf  an  independent  people  under  the 
protection  of  the  United  States?  Could  the  Indians  establish  a 
separate  re])ublic  on  each  of  their  reservations  in  Ohio?  and  if  they 
were  so  disposed,  would  it  be  the  duty  of  this  Government  to  pro- 
tect them  in  the  allenipt '  If  the  princi[)le  involved  in  the  obvious 
answer  to  these  questions  be  abandoned,  it  will  follow  that  the  ob- 
jects of  this  Government  are  reversed  ;  and  that  it  has  become  a 
part  of  its  duty  to  aid  in  destroying  the  States  which  it  was  esta- 
blished to  protect. 

"  Actuated  by  this  view  of  the  subject,  I  informed  the  Indians 
inhabiting  parts  of  Alabama  and  Georgia,  that  their  attempt  to  es- 
tablish an  ind(;i)endent  government  would  not  be  countenanced  by 
the  Executive  of  the  United  States,  anl  advised  them  to  emigrate 
beyond  the  Mississi])pi,  or  snuuiit  to  the  laws  of  those  States. 

"  Our  conduct  toward  these  people  is  deei)ly  interesting  to  cur 
national  character.  Their  present  condition,  contrasted  with  what 
they  once  were,  makes  a  most  powerful  appeal  to  our  sympathies. 
Our  ancestors  fomid  them  the  uncontrolled  po.sscssors  of  these  vast 
regions.  By  persuasion  and  force  they  have  been  made  to  retire 
from  river  to  river,  and  from  mountain  to  mountain,  mitil  some  of 
the  tribes  have  become  extinct,  and  others  have  left  but  remnants, 
to  preserve  for  a  while  their  once  terrible  names.  Surrounded  by 
the  whites,  witli  their  arts  of  civilization,  which,  by  destroying  the 
resources  of  the  savage,  doom  him  to  weakness  and  decay  ;  the  fate 
of  the  Mohegan,  the  Narragansett,  and  the  Delaware,  is  fast  over- 
t;iking  the  Choctaw,  the  Clierokee,  and  the  Creek.  That  this  fate 
surelv  awaits  them,  if  tiiey  remain  within  the  limits  of  the  States, 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


421 


does  not  admit  of  a  doubt,  lltiiiiaiiity  and  national  honor  demand 
that  every  elFort  shonld  he  made  to  avert  so  great  a  calamity.  It  is 
too  late  to  incjuire  whether  it  was  just  in  tlie  United  States  to 
include  them  and  tlicir  territory  within  tlio  bounds  of  the  new- 
States  whose  limits  they  could  control.  That  step  cannot  be 
retracted.  A  State  cannot  be  dismembered  by  Congress,  or 
restricted  in  the  exercise  of  her  constitutional  power.  But  tlie 
people  of  those  States,  and  of  every  Suite,  actuated  by  feelings 
of  justice  and  regard  for  our  national  honor,  submit  to  you  the 
interesting  question,  whether  something  cannot  be  done,  con- 
sistently with  the  rights  of  the  States,  to  preserve  this  much 
injured  race. 

"  As  a  means  of  efTecting  this  end,  I  suggest  for  your  considera- 
tion the  propriety  of  setting  apart  an  ample  district  west  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  without  the  limits  of  any  State  or  Territory  now 
formed,  to  be  guarantied  to  the  Indian  tribes  as  long  as  they  shall 
occupy  it,  each  tribe  having  a  distinct  control  over  the  portion 
designated  for  its  use.  There  they  may  be  secured  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  governments  of  their  own  choice,  subject  to  no  otlier 
control  from  the  United  States  than  such  as  may  be  necessary  to 
preserve  peace  on  the  frontier,  and  between  the  several  tribes. 
There  the  benevolent  may  endeavor  to  teach  them  the  arts  of 
civilization ;  and,  by  promoting  union  and  harmony  among  them, 
to  raise  up  an  interesting  commonwealth,  destined  to  perpetuate 
the  race,  and  to  attest  the  humanity  and  justice  of  this  Government. 

"  This  emigration  should  be  voluntary,  for  it  would  be  as  cruel 
as  unjust  to  compel  the  Aborigines  to  abandon  the  graves  of  their 
fathers  and  seek  a  home  in  a  distant  land.  But  they  should  be 
distinctly  informed  that,  if  they  remain  within  the  limits  of  the 
States  they  must  be  subject  to  their  laws.  In  return  for  their 
obedience  as  individuals  they  will,  witliout  doubt,  be  protected  in 
the  enjoyment  of  tliose  jiossessions  which  they  have  improved  by 
their  industry      But  it  seems  to  me  visionary  to  suppose  that, 


422 


AN    ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


ill  tliis  state  of  things,  claims  can  bo  allowed  on  tracts  of  country 
on  which  they  have  neither  dwelt  nor  made  improvements,  merely 
because  they  have  seen  them  from  the  mountain  or  passed  them  in 
the  chase.  Submitting  to  the  laws  of  the  States,  and  receiving, 
like  other  citizens,  protection  in  their  persons  and  property,  they 
will  ere  long  become  merged  in  the  mass  of  our  population." 

Extract  from  President  JaclvSoiCs  Message  of  December  7,  1830. 

"Humanity  has  often  wept  over  the  fate  of  the  Aborigines  of 
this  countr;  ,  and  philanthropy  has  been  long  busily  em])loyed  in 
devising  means  to  avert  it.  But  its  progress  has  never  for  a 
moment  been  arrested;  and,  one  by  one,  have  many  powerful 
tribes  disappeared  from  the  earth.  To  Ibllow  to  the  tomb  the 
last  of  his  race,  and  to  tread  on  the  graves  of  e.vtinct  nations, 
excites  melancholy  reflections.  But  true  j)hilanthropy  reconciles 
the  mind  to  these  vicissitudes,  as  it  does  to  the  extinction  of  one 
generation  to  make  room  for  another.  In  the  monuments  and 
fortresses  of  an  unknown  j)eople,  spread  over  the  extensive  regions 
of  the  West,  we  behold  the  memorials  of  a  once  powerful  race, 
which  was  exterminated,  or  has  disappeared,  to  make  room  for  the 
existing  savage  tribes.  Nor  is  there  any  thing  in  this,  which, 
upon  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  general  interests  of  the  hmnan 
race,  is  to  be  regretted.  Philanthropy  could  not  wish  to  see  this 
continent  restored  to  the  condition  in  which  it  was  found  by  our 
forefathers.  What  good  man  wouIJ  prefer  a  country  covered  with 
forests  and.  ranged  by  a  few  thousand  savages  to  our  extensive 
Republic,  studded  with  cities,  towns,  and  prosperous  farms; 
embellished  with  all  the  improvements  which  ai't  can  devise,  or 
industry  execute ;  occupied  by  more  than  twelve  millions  of 
happy  people,  and  filled  with  all  the  blessings  of  liberty,  civiliza- 
tion, and  religion. 

■*  I'he  present  policy  of  the  Government  is  but  a  continuation 
of  the  same  progressive  change,  by  a  milder  process.     The  tribes 


THE   NORTH   AMKRICAN  INDIANS. 


423 


which  occupii'd  tin;  countries  now  constituting  the  Eastern  States 
were  annihihitcd,  or  have  melted  away,  to  make  room  for  the 
whites.  The  waves  of  po])ulatic)n  and  civiUzation  are  rolling  to 
the  westward  ;  and  we  now  propose  to  acquire  the  couiilries 
occupied  by  the  red  men  of  the  South  and  West  by  a  fair 
exchange,  and,  at  the  expense  of  the  United  States,  to  send  them 
to  a  land  where  their  evistencc  may  be  prolonged,  and  perhaps 
made  perpetual.  Doubtless  it  will  ba  puinful  to  leave  the  graves 
of  their  fathers :  but  what  do  they  more  than  our  ancestors  did, 
or  tlian  our  children  are  now  doing?  To  better  their  condition  in 
an  unknown  land,  our  forefathers  left  all  that  was  dear  in  earthly 
oi)jccts.  Our  children.  In'  thousands  yearly  leave  the  land  of  their 
birth,  to  seek  new  homes  in  distant  regions.  Does  humanity  weep 
at  these  painful  separations  from  (!very  thing,  animate  and  inani- 
mate, with  which  the  young  he;irt  has  become  entwined?  Far 
from  it.  It  is  rather  a  .source  of  joy  that  our  country  affords  scope 
where  our  young  population  may  range  unconstrained  in  body  or 
mind,  developing  the  power  and  faculties  of  man  in  their  highest 
perfection.  These  remove  hundreds,  and  almost  thousands  of 
miles,  at  their  own  expense,  purchase  the  lands  they  occupy,  and 
su|)port  themselves  at  their  new  homes  from  the  moment  of  their 
arrivid.  Can  it  be  cruel  in  this  Government  when,  by  events 
wliich  it  cannot  control,  the  Indian  is  made  discontented  in  his 
ancient  home,  to  purchase  his  lands,  to  gi,e  him  a  new  and 
extensive  territory,  to  pay  the  expense  of  his  removal,  and  support 
him  a  year  in  his  new  abode?  llow  many  thousands  of  our  own 
people  would  gladly  embrace  the  o])portunity  of  removing  to  the 
West  on  such  conditions  ?  If  the  oilers  made  to  the  Indians  were 
extended  to  them  they  would  be  hailed  with  gratitude." 


PART   THIRD. 


When  any  rcflcctintr  man  is  asked  wliat  it  is  that  constitutes 
the  difference  between  the  American  people  and  the  snl)jccts  of 
an  European  despotism,  and  what  is  the  cause  of  tliat  prosperity 
which  has  carried  Ibrward  our  country  with  such  rapid  strides  in 
her  march  to  greatness  ?  he  refers  at  once  to  the  character  of  the 
people  as  rcsultinrr  fi-om  the  institutions  of  a  republican  govern- 
ment. Their  enterprise,  industry,  intelligence,  temperance,  and 
republican  syniplirity,  and  the  equality  of  rights  secured  to  them 
in  their  social  compact,  are  the  elements  of  tlieir  respectability  as 
individuals,  and  their  greatness  as  a  people.  Our  systems  of 
public  instruction,  our  varied  means  for  the  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
our  religions  toleration,  and  freedom  from  civil  bm-dens,  all  tend  to 
ameliorate  and  refine  the  character,  to  stimulate  the  enterprise,  and 
awakvMi  the  latent  energies  of  the  ])en])le.  Do  we  extend  these 
rights  and  advantages  to  the  Indian,  or  impart  to  him  the  virtues 
and  the  comforts  of  the  civilized  man?  In  the  pageantry  of  the 
councils  which  are  held  with  their  chiefs  do  we  display  that 
symplicitv  which  marks  our  intercourse  with  each  other?  Do  we 
inculcate  frugality  b}'  presenting  them  with  loads  of  gaudy  finery  ? 
Do  we  teach  self-dependence,  industry,  and  thrift,  by  supplying 
their  necessities,  and  encouraging  tlieir  idle  habits  ?  Do  we,  by 
any  systematic  exertion,  present  to  thorn  the  example  of  our 
virtues,  and  offer  them  inducements  to  cultivate  peace,  industry, 
and  the  arts?  The  replies  which  must  necessarily  be  given  to 
these  fjuestions  lead  inevitably  to  the  conclusion  that  we  have 


r 


AN   ESSAY    ON   TlIK   HISTORY   OF 


42.-, 


groshly  oppressed  tliis  [)eoj)Ie,  or  iiiijjiinlotmltly  iiej^rlected  oiir  duty 
towards  tliem. 

If  it  1)0  inquired,  what  remedy  can  bo  ajjplicd  to  this  onorinoijs 
and  growing  evil  ? — we  reply,  that  the  question  is  one,  to  our  minds, 
of  easy  solution.  We  do  not  believe  that  tlie  all-wise  Creator  has 
doomed  a  raee  of  men  to  a  merely  sensual  existence.  We  cannot 
be  persiKided  tliat  human  l)cings,  gifted  with  intellectual  facullics, 
are  destined  to  live;  and  to  perish  lilic  brutes,  without  any  know- 
ledge of  the  hand  that  created  them,  without  any  perception  of  a 
responsibility  for  their  actions  as  rational  beings,  without  anv  cid- 
tivation  of  the  mind  or  conscience.  It  is  altogether  po.ssiblc  that  to 
the  (lifTerent  races  parts  have  been  assigned,  upon  the  great  theatre 
of  human  action,  of  greater  or  less  dignity  ;  but  we  cannot  believe 
that  any  have  l)een  excluded  from  the  practice  and  the  bonelits  of 
that  wide  scheme  of  benevolence  which  seeks  the  happiness  of  the 
whole  human  family.  We  liave  seen  no  authentic  version  of  the 
golden  rule,  to  which  any  exception  is  attached.  The  command  to 
love  one  another,  would  scarcely  have  been  given  in  such  ijroad  lan- 
guage, if  those  to  whom  it  was  given  were  to  bi^  brought  into  con- 
tact and  familiar  intercourse  with  another  race,  who  could  neither 
excite  that  love,  nor  bear  its  infu.sion  into  their  own  bosorn.s.  In 
other  word.s,  wo  think  the  Indians  have  souls;  and  that  our  duty 
towards  them  is  plainly  pointed  out  by  the  relations  in  wliicli  we 
stand  placed  towards  them.  If  they  are  our  dependents,  we  should 
govern  them  as  dependents ;  if  they  are  our  equals  we  should 
admit  them  to  an  equality  of  rights;  if  they  are  properly  subject  to 
the  operation  of  our  laws,  we  should  break  down  the  barrier  which 
separates  them  from  us,  bring  them  at  once  into  the  bosom  of  the 
Republic,  and  extend  to  them  the  benefits,  immunities,  and  privi- 
leges that  we  enjoy  ourselves.  If  it  bo  objected  that  they  are-inde- 
pendent nations,  and  that  we  cannot  in  good  faith  destroy  their 
national  character,  as  we  should  do  by  imposing  our  laws  and  civili. 
zation  upon  them  against  their  will;  it  will  be  necessary,  before  we 

64 


42« 


Tlir:   NORTH   AMt:UICAN   INDIANS. 


adviiiK'o  any  fiirtlifr  in  onr  iirj»utnt"nt,  to  exaniini'  wlictlicr  llii"  (iicl 
ill'  so,  tluit  IIk'su  tribes  aro  indrpcndent,  anil  to  ascortain  tlic  sort  o|" 
national  existence  wliieli  tliey  liave  lield. 

With  rejiard  to  as  many  of  tiie  Indian  tribes  as  have,  Ity  solemn 
treaty,  placed  themselves  under  our  protection,  given  us  the  riyht 
to  reu:nlat(!  their  trade,  naviifate  their  rivers,  traverse  their  country, 
and  |)nnish  lluir  people  in  our  courts,  and  aj,'reed  to  admit  no  white 
man  of  any  nation  into  their  territory  without  our  license,  there 
seems  to  be  little  mom  for  discussion.  Soverei<fn  nations  they  are 
not,  for  they  have  parted  with  all  tiie  hi;4hest  attributes  of  sove- 
reignty. 'I'liev  have  placed  their  destinii's  at  our  disposal  lor 
good  or  lor  evil,  and  wiiether  it  be  for  evil  or  good  depends  on  the 
fidelity  with  which  \\v  shall  discliargc  the  trust.  It  is  too  late  now 
to  inquire  into  the  validity  of  those  transactions,  or  the  policy  which 
dictated  them.  We  have  accepted  the  trust,  and  are  bound  in  good 
faith  to  e.xerci.se  it  in  a  spirit  of  justice  and  philanthropy.  And  if 
we  refer  to  our  own  legislation,  it  will  Iw  seen  that  this  is  not  con- 
fined to  those  tribes  which  have  by  treaty  .sul)mitted  themselves  to 
our  jurisdiction.  The  general  phrases  "  Indian"  and  "  Indian  ter- 
ritory" e.vteud  the  operation  of  those  laws  to  all  the  country  lying 
west  of  our  settlements,  and  to  all  the  tribes  and  individuals  within 
that  region.  With  what  propriety  can  we  now  jiauso  to  inquire 
into  onr  right  of  sovereignty  over  these  triix-s,  when  we  have 
already  exercised  that  sovereignty  to  the  full  e.vtent  tliat  onr  own 
safety  or  interest  required  ?  If  to  |)rotect  or  agtrrandize  ourselves 
we  have  assumed  jurisdiction,  witlumt  a  qualm  of  conscience,  shall 
we  become  squeamish  when  called  upon  to  exereis(>  the  same  power 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian?  The  question  is  not  now  to  l)o  de- 
cided whether  we  shall  extiut,niisli  the  independence  of  the  Indians, 
because  that  point  has  Ioult  since  b(>en  settled,  and  we  have,  by 
])urc]ias(>  or  conquest,  acquired  full  soveriMirntv.  I'assintr  over  the 
treaties  to  which  we  have  rcrcrred,  and  wliirli  speak  lor  themselves, 
we  shall  proceed   to  show  that  we  iiave,  in  various  ways,  asserted 


AN   ESSAY   ON    I' UK   IIISTOKY    OF 


427 


fill  al)solii1«  and  iiiilimilcfl  pdwor  ovlt  tlii'sc  tribes.  'I'o  iivoid  rcpo- 
titioii,  we  sliiill  pass  over  tlic  statutes  above  referred  to,  and  sball 
proceed  to  notice  some  oilier  assiiniplions  of  sovereignty  on  oiir 
part. 

It  will  1k!  re(;olleeted  that  {\w.  European  pjovernments  have,  from 
the  first,  exerted  tiie  rijj;ht  to  parcel  out  amoiiir  tbeniselves  the 
nowly-disi'overed  territories  of  savajri^  nations,  assuniiiiir  the  j)rin- 
eiph',  that  a  liorde  of  sava<,'es  roaniinjj;  over  a  wilderness,  for  iho 
purpose  of  hunliiifr,  did  not  ac(piire  that  sort  of  property  in  tiio 
lands  wiiidi  sliould  exclude  their  occupancy  by  a  permanent  popu- 
lation. Our  Government  has  been  more  tender  towards  the  savaue 
ill  its  construction  of  his  riglits,  and  has  always  acknowledged  a 
ipialified  property  in  him,  of  which  he  could  not  be  dispossessed 
without  an  equivalent.  But  the  policy  of  the  Government  has 
always  looked  to  the  settlement  and  cultivation  of  all  the  lands 
within  our  boundaries,  and  the  removal  or  civilization  of  the  Li- 
lians, and  we  have  steadily  made  our  arrangements  with  a  view  to 
tliese  endS:  without  consulting  the  Aborigines,  or  doubting  the  jus 
iiess  of  our  course. 

In  the  year  17^3,  Virginia  cc'ded  to  the  United  States  all  liei 
right,  title,  and  claim,  as  well  of  soil  as  of  jurisdiction,  to  that  re- 
gion which  was  afterwards  called  the  Xorth-westeru  Territory,  the 
whole  of  which  was  occupied  by  the  Indians,  except  a  few  spots 
inhabited  by  the  French.  The  condition  of  this  grant  wis,  that 
the  territory  so  ceded  should  "  be  laid  out  and  formed  into  States," 
"and  that  the  States  so  formed  shall  be  distinct  republican  States, 
and  admitted  members  of  the  Federal  Union,"  &c.  To  this  treaty 
tlii^  Indian  tribes  were  not  parties,  and  of  course  seem  not  to  have 
been  recognized  as  having  any  political  or  civil  rights.  They  were 
in  full  possession,  and  had  manifested  no  intention  either  to  sell  the 
lauds  or  abandon  the  country;  yet  the  territory  was  ceded,  and 
conditions  made  in  regard  to  its  future  occupancy,  without  any 
reference  to  the  actual  condition  or  supposed  wishes  of  the  Indians. 


428 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


Virgnia  by  ceding,  iiiul  tlie  Uiiitc(]  Stat(!.s  by  accepliiig,  both  "soil 
iiiicl  jurisdiction,"  and  both  parlies  l)y  providing  for  the  erection  of 
repuljlican  States  in  this  country,  (ieiiv  all  right  of  sovereignty  in 
the  Aborigines  as  eflectually  as  if  they  had  ilone  so  by  express 
words. 

Aficrwards,  aiul  btifore  any  of  this  country  was  purchased  from 
the  Indians,  an  ordinance  was  ])asse(l  by  Congress  for  its  govern- 
ment; and  althougli  't  provided  in  this  act  that  the  Indians  shall 
be  protected  in  their  '  property,  rights,  and  liberty,"  this  provi.Kwi 
is  not  l)r()ader  than  tliiit  ma<ie  in  favor  of  the  French  inhal)itants  of 
the  .same  country  in  the  dei'd  of  cession,  and  it  only  extends  to  lite 
juople  of  that  territory  the  .same  '•  indefeasdjle"  rights  wliicli  apper- 
tain to  every  citi/en  of  the  United  Slates.  The  terms  u.sed  a|)piy 
to  the  Indians,  in  tht'ir  individual,  not  in  their  nalion;d  capacity; 
and  the  verv  piissing  ot'sucli  a  law  is  an  assumption  of  sovereignty, 
uiiich  e.vdudcs  the  idea  of  an v  power  existing  in  the  Indians  to 
l)rotect  dieir  own  rights,  property,  and  lil)erty. 

Chief  Justice  Marshall,  in  his  opinion  given  in  tin;  celebrated 
case  of  Worcester  r.  Tlie  Sl.ite  of  (ieor"i;i,  savs,  "The  Indian 
nations  had  al\\a\s  lieen  considered  as  distinct,  inde[)endent  politi- 
cal communities,  re  taining  their  original  natural  rights,  as  the  un- 
di>pnted  poss"ssi)rs  of  tin-  soil,  from  linn-  immemorial,  with  the 
single  e.vception  of  that  in^jo.scd  by  irresistible  power,  whicii  ex- 
cluded tbein  from  intertourse  with  any  other  Kuro|)ean  ])'iientate 
than  \\w  first  discu.  "  of  tlie  coast  of  tin;  particular  regioa  clai'ued  ; 
and  this  w.-.s  a  rcstriciion  which  those  lOuropean  potentates  imposed 
on  llicuiselves,  as  well  as  on  the  rndians."  In  aiMither  part  of  the 
same  opinion,  he  di'lines  tln^  relation  existintr  iietucen  the  Inited 
States  and  an  Indian  tribe,  as  "that  of  a  nation  claiming  and  re- 
ceiving the  protection  of  cue  more  powerful;  not  ttiat  of  individnalf, 
abandoning  their  national  cliara>,ler,  and  submitting  as  snl)jects  to 
tiie  laus  of  a  master." 

From  this  high  authority  >ve  are  not  di.spo.sed  to  dis.sent,  nor  is  it 


AN   KSSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


42  i» 


necessary  to  do  so.  In  nseortainiiiir  llie  l^ifal  position  of  the;  Iiidi.in 
nations,  tlie  Supreme  Conrt  were  <,nii(lecl  by  tlic  treaties,  eliarters, 
and  other  public  documents,  by  winch  the  character  of  tliosn 
nations  was  forn>ally  recognized.  Tiiat  they  are  independent  and 
sovereign  in  name,  and  outward  seeminu,  and  tliat  tliey  are  lieated 
with  l)y  our  Government  as  di.stinct  nations,  we  admit.  Our  argu 
mcnt  is,  tiiat  while  they  arc  so  legally  and  nominally  independent 
and  sovereign,  tliey  have  in  fact  been  si.ipped  of  every  national 
attribute,  and  that  it  is  a  mere  mockery  to  continue  ;o  them  the 
shadow  when  we  have  taken  from  tliem  the  substance. 

The  country  beyond  the  Mississippi  is  of  vast  importance  to  the 
American  people.  It  forms  the  western  boundary  of  our  pujtula- 
tion,  and  is  inhabited  by  hordes  of  savages,  who,  from  having  been 
our  equals,  our  enemies,  om-  allies,  ihe  scourge  and  terror  of  our 
borders,  are  sinking  fa.st  into  a  stati;  of  imi;:'cile  depeiidence,  which 
must  soon  render  tliem  the  mere  ol)jects  of  our  compassion.  Al- 
ready their  rights  have  i)ecome  so  fpiestional)le,  as  to  divide  the 
opinions  of  oir  best  and  wisest  men.  Not  that  any  are  so  l)old  as 
to  deny  that  they  have  anij  rights.  Far  be  it  from  us,  at  least,  to 
hint  that  sucli  a  thought  is  seriously  entertained.  Tiicir  claims 
u[)()n  us  are  high  and  sacred  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  us  and  for 
them,  they  have  become  so  cumplicatetl  as  to  be  uiidclined,  iind 
almost  undefinablc.  How  shall  we  ascertain  the  political  rigiits  of 
those  who  have  nevcsr  ticknowletlged  any  international  law,  whose 
station  is  not  fixed  I)}-  tlie  code  of  empires,  who  have  no  )>lace  in 
the  family  of  nations  .'  How  estimate  the  civil  condition  of  tiiose 
whose  government  is,  if  we  may  so  express  it,  a  sy.stematic  anarciiv, 
in  whicii  no  ma.\im  eitiier  of  religion,  rnoralitv,  or  law,  is  admitttd 
to  be  fundamental,  no  right  is  .sacn'd  from  the  hand  of  vioicucr  no 
personal  protection  insured,  Init  to  strength  and  valor?  Whit  are 
the  obligations  of  religion,  justice,  or  benevolence,  towards  those 
who  acknowledge  neither  tiie  one  nor  the  other,  in  the  sense  in 
which  we   under.stiuid   these  terms .'     How  shall   we  deal   witli  a 


430 


THE   :;OUTII  AM  Kill  c  a;.    INiHANS. 


people,  l)ct\veen  whom  !ind  ourselves  tlicic  is  no  (•oiiinmiiitv  of 
language,  thought,  or  custom;  uo  reciprocity  of  ol)ligations ;  no 
conunon  standard  by  whii.Oi  to  estimate  oiu"  relative  interests, 
claims,  and  duties?  These  are  questions  of  such  difhcult  solution, 
that  they  will  at,  hut  lic  decided  not  by  reason  but  by  power,  as 
the  Gordian  knot  was  severed  by  the  sword  of  the  conqueror. 

We  aj)prehen(l,  however,  that  the  agitation  of  some  of  these 
questions  would  be  /ather  curious  tiian  iiseful.  It  can  be  of  little 
benefit  to  the  Indian,  at  this  day,  to  inquire  what  have  been  the 
rights  that  he  has  forfeited  by  his  own  misconduct  and  the  sellisji 
interference  of  pretended  friends, — lost  by  misconception,  or  sur- 
rendered to  the  hand  of  violence.  We  caiuiot  now  place  him  in 
the  situation  in  which  our  ancestors  found  him,  but  must  deal  with 
him  according  to  the  circumstances  i)y  which  he  is  surrounded. 
And  the  question  now  is,  what,  in  the  j)resent  condition  of  the 
Indian,  is  our  duty  to  him,  and  to  ourselves?  what  policy,  con- 
sistent with  the  interest  and  dignity  of  the  American  people,  would 
be  best  calculated  to  save  from  utter  d(>struction  the  remnant  of  the 
aboriginal  tribes,  and  elevate  them  to  the  condition  of  a  civilized 
race  ?  W(!  say,  what  policy  coitsistenl  irith  our  own  interests, 
because,  in  the  exertion  of  on-  own  benevolence,  towards  a  compara- 
tively small  number  of  stu  iges,  wo  are  not  to  overlook  the  welfare 
of  a  numerous  civilized  population,  and  the  great  interests  of 
humanity  and  religion,  which  are  now  inseparably  connected  with 
the  consideration  of  this  subject. 

In  the  first  place,  we  cannot  believe  that  the  mere  fact  that  a 
wandering  horde  of  savages  are  in  the  habit  of  traversing  a  parti- 
cular tract  of  country  in  pursuit  of  game  giv«"^  to  them  the  owner 
ship  and  jurisdiction  of  the  soil  as  sovereign  nations.  In  order  to 
sustain  sucli  a  claim  it  should  be  .shown  tiiat  they  have,  at  least, 
detinile  boundaries,  permanent  inslitutions,  and  the  power  to  pro- 
tect themselves,  and  enforce  their  laws.  These  are  some  of  the 
attributes  of  nations.     To  make  a  nation  there  must  be  a  govern- 


AN   ESSAY    ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


431 


mnit — a  bond  of  union  l)y  which  \\\v  iiulividiiiil  chariicter  shall,  for 
civil  and  soi'ial  purposes,  be  merited  in  lii:it  of  the  body  politic; 
and  there  mnst  be  a  power  some  where,  either  in  the  rulers  or  the 
people,  to  make  and  enforce  laws.  3ther  nations  must  be  satisfied 
that  there  is  a  permanent  authority,  which  has  the  right  to  rej)re- 
sent,  and  the  power  to  l)ind  such  a  connnnnity,  by  treaty.  Tiiey 
must  be  satisfied,  that  there  is  a  legal  or  a  moral  power  siillicieutly 
strong  to  enforce  the  obligations  of  justice^  and  lh;it  there  is  some 
judicial  mode  of  investigating  facts,  determining  questions  of  right, 
and  settling  principles.  There  must  be  some  known  principles  of 
political  and  moral  action,  observed  alike  by  the  people  and  their 
rulers,  which  shall  govern  their  intercourse  with  foreigners,  and 
render  it  safe  and  certain.  A  body  of  men,  merely  associated 
together  for  present  security  and  convenience,  is  by  no  tneuns  a 
nation.  Between  such  a  body,  and  a  great  empire  in  tiio  full 
exercise  of  all  the  attributes  of  sovereign  power,  there  may  be 
se\eral  grades  of  the  social  (umpact.  States  may  be  dependent 
or  independent,  free  or  tributary ;  tlie  people  may  govern  tliem- 
selves,  or  they  may  acknowledge  a  master;  the  state  may  be  well 
governed  and  prosperous,  or  it  may  be  corrupt  and  iusiLMiificant 
But  between  a  government  and  no  (jorcrninciit  there  is  bi  Im- . 

There  is  a  dear  distinction  between  a  state  and  a  nicrt;  ciIUcImju 
of  in.dividuals:  the  latter,  whatever  may  be  their  se[iarate  per.son.il 
rights,  cannot  have  collectively  any  jjolitical  existence ;  and  any 
nttion,  within  whose  limits  or  upon  whose  borders  they  may 
happen  to  bo,  has  a  clear  right  to  extend  its  iuilhority  over  them, 
having  regard  always  to  the  riglits  of  other  nations.  It  is  nece.s- 
sarv,  for  the  common  ;idvantage  and  security  of  mankind,  that  all 
men  slio-dd  belonif  to  some  government  ;  and  those  who  neglect  to 
organize  themselves  into  regular  civil  communities  must  exjiect 
that  existing  governments  will  impose  tiieir  laws  upoi>  them. 

It    is  very  char  that   tiie    North   Amerii'iui   Indians   iiave,  at   llli^ 
tune,  no  reg\darly  organized  governments.      I'lven  the  sub-division 


432 


TlIK   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


-""f  tril)os  is  (louhtfiil  tiiul  fluctuating.  They  are  separated  into 
smaller,  or  gathered  into  larger  bodies,  as  their  own  convenience  or 
the  caprice  of  a  chief  may  dictate.  An  intelligent  and  warlike 
leader  ma}'  amalgainato  many  of  these  clans  together,  or  a  war 
may  force  them  to  unite ;  but  when  the  cause  which  binds  them 
together  ceases,  or  when  rival  warriors  contend  for  the  ascendency, 
they  separate,  or  form  other  coml)inations.  In  the  Narrative  of 
Long's  Second  Ivxpedition  we  find  that  the  Dacotahs  are  divided 
into  fifteen  tril)es,  and  the  writer  (il)serves,  "almost  every  traveller, 
will)  has  visited  the  Dacotahs,  has  given  a  ditVerent  enumeration 
of  tlieir  divisions,  some;  reckoning  hwi  scccii,  while  others  admit  as 
many  as  tiV()ttij-(»ie  tribes."  Again,  lie  remarks,  "These  form  two 
great  divisions,  which  have  been  distinguished  by  traders  into  the 
names  Cniis  (hi  T.ac  and  Gens  dii  Lurye — those  who  live  by  the 
lake,  and  those  who  roam  over  the  prairies."  In  this  instance,  it 
would  be  dillicult  to  ascertain  what  individuals  or  tribes  could  be 
••lassed  togetlier  as  a  nation,  and  the  claim  of  any  portion  to  be 
ela.ssed  togetlier,  as  :i  body  politic,  \\()uld,  in  the  technical  phrase 
of  lawvers,  he  had  for  uucerluinty. 

John  'ramier,  to  whose  interesting  Xarialive  we  have  had  occa- 
sion more  than  once  to  refer,  was  the  son  ol"  an  American  citizen 
residing  in  Kentuek}',  and  was  taken  prisoner  when  a  child  by  the 
Ojiiiwav  or  ('hippeway  Indians.  He  was  adopli.'d  into  an  ludiau 
familv,  was  rearetl  in  iheir  hal)its,  and  had  Used  among  them  for 
thirtv  ye  H's,  when  he  was  found  by  the  gentlemen  engaged  in  the 
expedition  under  Long,  and  prevailed  upon  to  furnish  a  narrative 
of  his  adventures  for  publication.  The  work  is  compiled  with 
great  care,  and  may  be  relied  u|)on  as  authentit  Tanner  not  only 
lived  with  the  Indians,  but  hunteii  and  travelled  extensively  among 
the  tril)es  who  irthabit  the  shores  of  the  upper  lakes;  yet  he  does 
not.  ill  liis  whole  iiarrati\r.  refer  to  anything  like  a  government. 
He  does  not  mention  the  name  of  a  ruling  chief,  nor  does  he  detail 
a  siii'j;li>  instance  of  the  exertion  of  sovereign  authority.     In  all  his 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THK   HISTORY   OF 


433 


troubles — and  lie  had  nian\- — when  robbed,  alxised,  and  exposed  ' 
violence  in  various  forms,  he  sonirht  no  i)roteelion  from  a  chief, 
there  was  no  law,  no  ruler,  no  power,  that  could  stay  the  hand  of 
the  oppressor,  or  give  relief  to  the  injured  party.  It  is  very  clear 
that  there  is  no  <fovcrnment  among  a  people  thus  situated.  There 
arc  divisions  into  tribes,  it  is  true,  but  these  arc  large  families 
rather  than  nations,  for  the  distinctions  arc  those  of  blood,  not 
of  country  or  govenunent.  There  are  kinds  formed  for  occasional 
purposes,  which  are  dispersed  whenever  the  necessity  ceases  which 
brought  them  together.  Tanner  himself  never  acknowledged  any 
superior,  nor  considered  himself  as  belonging  to  any  particular 
body,  though  lu;  called  himscdf  an  Ojibway.  Among  his  tribe 
were  many  leaders.  A  man  who  became  distinguished  as  a  war- 
rior, or  hunter,  was  resorted  to  by  others,  who  became  his  fol- 
lowers; to  secure  the  temporary  advantages  of  the  protection 
afforded  by  numbers  remained  with  him  as  long  as  he  was  suc- 
cessful, and  dispersed  whenever  he  e.vperieuccd  a  reverse,  or 
whenever  game  <rrew  scarce.  These  combinations  seldom  last 
more  than  one  season  ;  and  the  same  chief,  who  now  commands  a 
hundred  warriors,  revels  in  the  spoils  of  his  euomics,  is  wealthy  in 
dogs  and  horses,  and  patriarchal  in  the  number  of  his  wives  and 
dependents,  will  perhaps  spend  his  ne.vt  year  in  himtmg,  at  some 
solitary  spot,  by  himself,  or  bo  wandering  about  at  the  head  of  a 
little  band,  composed  of  his  own  relatives.  In  the  next  great  war 
or  hunting  party  he  may  1)0  first,  second,  or  third  in  rank,  or  havo 
no  rank,  just  as  it  ha])pens.  S|)eaking  of  one  of  their  large  war 
parties,  Mr.  Tanner  says,  "On  lids  occasion  men  wer(>  assend)led 
from  a  vast  extent  of  country,  of  dissimilar  feelings  and  dialects, 
and  of  the  \\\\o\i\foiirti'ni  Ji  it  iidrril  no\  one  who  would  acknowledge 
any  authority  sujierior  to  his  own  will.  It  is  true  that  ordinarily 
they  yield  a  <'ertain  deference,  and  a  degree  of  obedience,  to  the 
chief  each  may  have  undertaken  to  follow ;  but  this  obedience,  in 

60 


434 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


most  instances,   coiilimus  no  longer   than   tlie   uill   of  tin    cliicf 
corresponds  entirely  witli  tlie  inrliimtions  of  those  hi"  heals." 

This  niav  he  said  to  he  an  extreme  ease.  Thi;  northern  hordes, 
inliahitinir  a  sterih'  eodiitry  and  inhospitahle  elimate,  snll'er  (greatly 
for  want  of  fooil,  and  are  necessarily  scattered  in  small  parlies  over 
a  wide  reuion.  The;  are  redneed  hy  the  eirennistanees  snrronnd- 
inc  them  to  the  lowot  iirade  of  wri'tehedncss,  and  of  eonrse  exhihit 
the  savaixe  life  in  its  most  nnfavoraltle  as|ieet.  But  it  is  not  mate- 
rially ditlerent  in  Florida,  so  far  as  respects  the  (piestion  of  govern- 
ment. In  onr  late  negotiations  and  wars  with  the  Seminoles,  we 
font;d  a  oeople  answering  to  a  common  name,  and  eidisted  in  a 
common  cause;  Imt  there  was  no  central  authority,  nor  any  ruling 
chief,  but  a  collection  of  inde[>endent  hands,  who  acted  separately 
or  in  union,  as  circumstiuiccs  dictated. 

The  largest  of  oiu-  savage  nations,  the  O.sages  and  Pawnees,  are 
those  in  whom  the  savage  state  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage. 
The  fcrtilitv  of  the  cnnntrv  over  which  tliey  roam,  the  mildness  of 
the  elimate,  and  especially  the  ahnn<lance  of  food  atforded  hy  the 
immense;  herds  of  Ijutfalo,  cond»ine  to  rais;-  these  people  ahove  the 
hardshijis  which  assail  the  more  northern  tribes,  and  enable  them 
to  live  together  in  larger  Ixwlies.  They  are  a  more  active  and  more 
cheerful  p(>opl(>,  have  more  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and  are  under 
infinitely  licttcr  discipline,  but  it  is  only  ilisripliiie,  mero  martial  law, 
and  \vA  civil  governineMl. 

These  nations,  like  the  Dacotahs,  are  diviilcd  into  bands,  some  of 
which  seem  to  be  \\holIy  indcpt  ndmt  of  the  original  stock — sui'h 
as  the  J'awnee  I,ou[)s,  the  Re|iublican  I'awnee.s,  i*tc.,  which  an; 
bands  that  sej)arated  from  tlu;  (irand  I'awni'es;  and  tiie  little 
O.sages,  who  art'  a  branch  of  the  CI  real  O.sages.  During  the  last 
war  between  the  I  nitcd  States  anil  Oreat  Britain,  a  portion  of  the 
Saukies,  then  residinir  at  Hock  I.«.land  on  the  Mississippi.  IniuLf  nn 
willing  to  unite  with  the  majority  of  the  nation  in  making  waru|ion 
the  United  States,  removed  to  a  point  on  the  Missouri  River.    Here 


AN    ESSAV   ON   THE  HISTORY  OF 


435 


they  have  nMiiniiicd  ever  since;  tlic  ^se|)i^ratioIl  beUvocii  tlic  two 
parts  of  tlio  ualioii  lias  hccoiuu  final,  3i't  both  rotaiii  tlit-  ori<ririal 
narni'.  These  frequent  divisions  add  to  the  other  proofs  of  the  ab- 
sence of  a  bindintr  or  permanent  organization  among  the  Indians. 

The  Osages  liave  a  tradition  that  they  came  originally  from  the 
East.     They  were  for  many  years  at  war  with  the  Missouries,  who 
were  a  powerful  nation,  and  by  whom  they  were  gradually  driven 
to  the  West, — first  to  the  .Mississippi,  where  they  remained  some 
time,  and  then  to  the  Missouri.     The  Missouries  settled  and  built 
villages  on  the  Missi.ssippi.     When  Charlevoi.\,  who  was  sent  on  a 
tour  of  discovery  by  the  French  Government,  came  through  this 
region,  he  stopped  for  a  short  time  among  the  .Missouries,  and  made 
them  presents  of  gun.s,  ammunition,  and  knives,  with  which  they 
were  not  acciuainted  before  that  time.     Tiuis  armed,  tliey  renewed 
their  attacks  upon  the   Osages,   who   had  intrenched   themselves 
within  a  fortification  of  logs  and  mud.     'I'lie  report  and  tlie  elTects 
of  the  firearms,  now  witnessed   liy  the  Osaucs  t"nr   the   lirst   tinn'. 
struck  a  panic  into  them,  aed,  believin<j:  that  the  (ireut  Spirit  had 
jnit  his  thunder  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  they  fied.     Pro- 
ceeding up  the  river,  tliey  came  1o  the  stream  which  has  since 
borne  their  name,  the  Osage  Hiver,  wheie  they  halted;  while  tlie 
Missouries  had  the  honor  of  giving  their  name  to  the  Great  River 
of  the  West,  upon  whose  banks  they  settled.     'I'lie  Osages,  at  that 
time,  uuml)ered  alx)ut  three  thousand  warriors,  l»ut  there  were  dis- 
sensions among  them,  arising  out  of  di.scussions  of  the  (piestion 
where  they  shouUl  become  permancnlly  settled.     In  this  state  of 
things,  some  of  the  chiefs,  with  a  small  nunil)er  <il  followers,  went 
back  to  the  Mi.ssourios,  with  whom  they  made  peace — the  condi 
tions  being,  that  they  .should  settle  in  adjacent  villages,  and  defend 
each  other  in  ca.se  of  war.     IIow  lonu  they  remained  ther(\  does  not 
appear;  but  they  eventually  rejoineil  the  main  body  of  the  nation, 
with  whom  they  are  now  miited,  though  as  a  separate  bimd,  called 
the  Little  Osages.     Since  then  other  bands  have  separated  from  the 


iU 


THE  NORTH  A.MERK'AN    INDIANS. 


Great  Osajrcs,  whn  arc  known  as  tlic  Onialias,  tin-  Kansas,  and  tlio 
Arkansas — in<U'»'il  tlio  Osatrcs  consider  llicir  nation  as  the  original 
stork  ol "nearly  all  the  tribes  between  the  Mississippi  anil  tiie  Kooky 
Mountains. 

These  separations  occur  from  various  eanses — sometimes  from 
<|iiarrels  aiMon<;  the  chiefs,  but  more  frecpienlly  from  the  scarcity  of 
•fame,  which  inihices  larire  hnntin<j-parties  to  detach  themselves 
from  the  main  body  of  the  nation,  and  wander  off  to  distant  j)laces 
in  search  of  game.  It  is  a  cnrioiis,  bnt  well-attested  fact,  (nincinuf 
the  evanescent  natnre  of  an  unwritten  lan<j;nati;(-,  that  wlien  a  part 
of  a  tril)e  is  thus  se|)arated  for  a  few  years  from  the  remainder,  they 
become  distingnislKMl  by  a  peculiar  dialect.  Each  part}'  ado|)ts 
new  words,  and  tori'ds  some  of  those  in  use ;  so  that,  with  a  ra- 
pidity almost  incredii)le,  a  dissimilarity  of  toii<,Mic  ensues  between 
tliosc  who  have  bnt  recently  sprung  from  the  same  stock. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  of  the  attaclimcnt  of  the  Indians 
to  their  hunting-grotuids,  to  the  places  of  their  nativity,  and  the 
bones  of  their  ancestors.  The  sympathy  of  tlie  American  peoph; 
has  ofteii  In-en  invokeil  in  relation  to  the  alleged  cruelty  of  all  at- 
tempts to  promote  their  civili/ation,  by  removing  them  to  new 
homes,  where  they  could  be  ])ro1ected  from  the  encroachment  of 
tlie  whites,  "^riie  cruelty,  of  course,  consists  in  the  violence  done 
to  their  local  attachments  ;  for,  mdess  tht;  preference  for  a  particular 
s|)ol  l)e  verv  stmng  and  deeply  rooted,  it  would  seem  that  all  places 
would  be  pretty  nnich  alike  to  the  mere  roamer  of  the  wilderness. 

We  suppose  that  on  this  sul)iect  there  has  l)een  nuich  mistake 
and  exaggeration.  The  Indians  have  a  gre;it  regard  for  the  hones 
of  their  ancestors,  but  we  are  not  aware  that  this  feeling  extends  to 
the  plan's  when*  those  Imjucs  are  dcjiosited.  As  with  all  pa<rans, 
the  want  of  a  rational  belief  in  llu*  inuuortalitv  of  the  sold,  induces 
the  alVcction  for  deceased  objects  to  atlaeh  to  the  inanimate  remains, 
instead  of  following  tlie  spirit  to  its  eternal  abo(l(!.  Hut  that  super- 
stitious feeling  attaches  itself  only  to  those  relics;  it  i.s  much  akin 


AN    KSSAY   ON  THK   IIFSTOUY  OF 


4.J7 


to  tlio  iiwc  wliicli  llic  iLSiioraiit  amoiijz  ourselves  feel  lor  dead  1)odios 
and  |)laeos  of  Ixirial,  and  has  no  assimilation  nor  eoMMeclion  with 
the  love  of  country,  or  with  any  sentiment  of  regard  for  [last  gene- 
rations. 

There  is  no  reason  wliy  the  Indian  should  have  strong  loeal  at- 
tachments, nor  have  we  any  satistiietory  ovidenee  of  tlie  existence 
of  tliat  feeling,  lie  has  no  perni;inent  habitation,  ;ind  does  not 
dwell  at  any  s])ot  siidiciently  long  to  become  attaclied  to  it  by  haliit, 
or  by  mere  familiarity  with  the  surrounding  objects.  His  whole 
life  is  s])ent  in  wandcM'ing ;  and  if,  for  several  successive  years,  he 
returns  at  intervals  to  one  place,  which  thus  becomes  a  kind  of 
])ermanent  encan)pmcnt,  and  is  called  a  town,  it  is  oidy  because  of 
some  convenience  connected  with  the  locality,  which  is  abandoned 
whenever  a  stronger  attraction  is  presented  at  some  other  spot. 
The  whole  plain  of  the  Mississippi  abounds  in  the  deserted  sites  of 
Indian  towns,  and  in  tiie  evidences  of  this  erratic  mode  of  life.  And 
why  should  the  .savage  become  attached  to  the  place  of  his  abode .' 
He  builds  no  liou.se,  erects  uothiug.  j)lants  nothing,  which  would 
allbrd  present  comfort,  or  remain  as  u  memorial  of  his  existence. 
There  is  nothing  to  wliicli  either  the  pride  or  the  convenience  of 
ownership  can  be  attaclied.  Tiu;  idea  of  real  estate  is  unknown  to 
him  ;  there  is  no  rood  of  ground  to  which  he  ever  attaches  the  idea 
of  possession,  past,  present,  or  prospective.  There  is  no  monument 
which  appeals  to  his  pride,  or  his  all'ections,  or  calls  up  any  asso- 
ciations connected  with  the  past.  He  inherits  nothing  l)utthe  arms 
or  clothing  of  his  ancestors,  and  leaves  nothing  to  his  children 
which  is  not  equally  peri.shal)le.  'I'hc  Swiss  pea.sant,  however 
poor,  dwells  in  a  hut  which  has  braved  the  elements  for  centuries; 
the  village  church  is  hallowed  by  the  recollections  of  <'hildhood  ; 
the  nio.ss-covered  walls  in  tlie  neiLibborhood  have  their  legends, 
which  have  become  familiar  I'loni  freipicnt  repetition  ;  tin;  mountain 
side,  though  bleak  and  sterile,  is  marked  with  paths  troddtjn  by 
successive   generations:    Ihese,  and   a  thoii.sand  other   memorials. 


488 


THE   NORTH   AMKUICAN   INDIANS. 


lifivc  imprrssfd  tlu'iiisolvcs  upon  llio  lioarl  aiul  tlic  iiifiiioryi  Jnid 
l)ocorn('  tlio  luiuliiiiiilxs  of  home  and  ooiiiitry.  'I'lic  palli  of  tin-  In- 
dian is  lilu!  that  of  the  mariner  upon  tlie  ocean — his  footsteps  have 
no  print  l)ehind  tliem.  Instead  of  a  rehirion,  lie  lias  a  siij)erstition, 
which  never  appeals  to  the  heart,  nor  awakens  any  of  the  sensibili- 
ties of  his  nature;;  his  god  has  no  visible  altar,  neither  a  temple 
consecrated  to  holy  purposes,  nor  a  hallowed  spot  in  the  bosom 
of  the  domestic,  circle. 

'I'hat  the  Indians  have  not  strong  local  attachments,  is  as  demon- 
strable from  their  history,  as  it  is  clearly  dt-ducible  from  their  cha- 
racter. They  have  always  been  a  restless,  wandering  people.  I'lie 
savage  is  erratic  from  the  very  nature  of  his  life:  the  nomadic  state 
affords  no  scoj)e  for  the  cultivation  of  the  atTections;  and  whenever 
the  savage  is  restrained  from  wandering,  he  becomes,  more  or  less, 
a  civili/ed  man,  as  water  becomes  cdear  in  a  slate  of  rest.  The 
roaming  from  jilace  to  place,  the  want  of  a  home,  the  absence  of 
propert}',  the  habit  of  invading  without  scruple  the  lands  of  otJ[iers 
— these  arc  the  most  pregnant  causes  of  the  state  of  barbarism,  as 
well  as  the  most  obvious  proofs  of  the  absence  of  the  sort  of  attach- 
ment alluded  to. 

The  Shawanoe  nation,  when  first  known  to  the  whites,  were  a 
numerous  and  warlike  peoiile  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  Aftei 
the  lapse  of  a  very  few  years,  they  abandoned,  or  were  driven  from 
that  region,  and  are  found  in  the  south-western  part  of  the  Ohio 
valley,  giving  their  beautiful  nanu;  to  the  river,  which,  by  the  bad 
taste  of  the  Americans,  has  ac<piircd  the  hackneyed  name  of  Cum- 
berland. We  ne.vt  hear  of  them  in  Pennsylvania,  participators  in 
the  tragic  scenes  which  have  given  celebrity  to  the  valley  of  Wyo- 
ming. Again,  the}'  recede  to  the  Ohio  valley,  to  a  locality  hun- 
dreds of  miles  distant  from  their  former  hunting-grounds  in  the 
West,  selecting  now  the  rich  and  iieautiful  jilains  of  the  Sciota 
valley  and  the  Miamies.  Here  they  attained  the  highest  point  of 
their  fame.     Here  was  hoard  the  eloquence  of  Logan ;  here  was 


AN   ESSAY   ON   Till-:   HISTORY   OF 


489 


spent  llic  boyliood  of  Tt'cniiitlio'.  It.  was  from  \hv  romantic  sitiihh 
of  llio  Littli!  Miami,  from  tin'  I'ickaway  plains,  and  tiic  lieuntifu) 
slioros  of  tilt"  Sciota — from  scenes  of  siicli  transcendent  fertility  and 
bounty,  as  mnst  have  won  any  /ml  a  nature  inlierently  savage,  to 
llie  luxury  of  rest  and  contentment,  tliat  tiie  Shawunoese  went 
forth  to  battle,  on  Bra<ldock's  field,  at  I'oint  Pleasant,  and  along  the 
whole  line  of  the  then  western  frontier.  liastly,  we  find  them 
dwelling  on  the  \Val)asli,  at  'i'ippecanoe,  holding  councils  with  tlio 
Governor  of  Indiana  at  Vincennes,  intriguing  with  the  f'herokees 
and  Creeks  of  the  South,  and  fighting  under  the  British  banner  in 
Canada.  Here  we  find  a  people,  nundiering  but  a  few  tiiousand, 
and  who  could,  even  as  savages  and  hunters,  occupy  but  a  small 
tract  of  country  at  any  one  time,  roaming,  in  the  course  of  two 
centuries,  over  ten  degrees  of  latitude;  changing  their  hunting 
grounds,  not  gradually,  but  by  migrations  of  hundreds  of  miles  at 
a  time;  abandoning  entirely  a  whole  region,  and  appearing  upon  a 
new  and  far  distant  scene.  ^Vllat  land  was  the  counlry  of  the 
Shawanoese?  To  what  yj/rtce  could  that  strong  local  attachment, 
which  has  been  claimed  for  the  Indians,  have  allixed  itself? 
Where  must  the  Siiawanoe  linger,  to  indulge  that  veneration  for 
the  bones  of  his  fathers,  which  is  said  to  form  so  strong  a  feeling  in 
the  savage  breast?  Their  l)ones  are  mouldering  in  every  valley, 
from  the  sidtry  confines  of  Georgia  to  the  frozen  shores  of  the 
Canadian  frontier.  Their  traditions,  if  carefully  preserved,  would 
have  embraced  a  hundred  battle-lields,  in  as  many  .^leparate  dis- 
tricts, and  have  consecrated  to  the  affections  n  a  little  remnant  of 
people  a  vast  expanse  of  territory,  which  now  embraces  eight  or 
nine  sovereign  States,  and  maintains  five  millions  of  people. 

The  Saukies  are  .said  to  have  been  settled  originally  on  the 
banks  of  the  River  St.  Lawrence,  near  tlu^  ocean,  and  were  driven 
thence  towards  the  Lakes.  Coining  into  contact  with  the  great 
Inupiois  confederacy,  they  waged  a  long  and  fierce  war  with  that 
powerful  people,  through  whose  territories  they  j)assed.     On  the 


•no 


Tin:    soil  I  IF   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


Noiitlifiii  shnrv  of  l,;iki'  Eric  tlicv  oiiino  into  collision  with  tlic 
W'viindots,  and  were  aifiiin  plnn<r'.'(l  into  sanirninnrv  linstilitics. 
Hcacliiu'^r  tlio  Ijonlcrs  of  l,aki'  Micliiifan,  tiicy  rt'stril  awhile;  and 
it  was  hero  prohalily  that  tlicy  iHicarnc  allied  with  the  Miis(|nakoo, 
or  l''o.v  nation.  Thence  liendinu  their  ste|is  to  the  South,  they 
poured  down  upon  the  wide-spread  and  lu'antifid  prairies  of 
Illinois,  at  that  time  covered  with  henls  of  hulValo,  and  possessed 
themselves  of  the  eoimtry  on  the  waters  of  Hock  Kiver,  which  they 
held  until  lately. 

We  mi<;ht  s|)eak  of  other  miitrations,  liut  tlie.xe  examples  are 
sufllcient  for  illustration.  We  1<now  of  no  Indian  nation  which 
has  remained  stationary.  Their  traditions  invariahly  point  to  their 
former  aliodes.  in  far  distant  places,  and  are  fra)icrht  with  allusions 
to  lonif  and  perilous  wanderinifs. 

It  is  necessary,  as  a  preliminary  step  to  the  civilization  of  the 
Indians,  that  this  niiirratory  disposition  should  he  eradicated.  The 
Indian  should  he  confmed  within  si'ttle(l  houndaries,  and  Im^  tauifht 
to  cherish  his  own  riudils  1)\-  heinir  forced  to  n>spe<'t  the  riirhts 
of  others.  lie  should  learn  to  associate  his  n:ime  and  his  destiuv 
with  tliat  of  the  soil  on  which  he  dwells,  and  thus  acipiiri'  the 
virtue  of  which  he  has  now  no  conception — the  love  of  eonntrv. 
The  Indian  loves  his  trihe.  he  loves  his  wild.  iVee  hahits  of  life,  he 
loves  the  wilderno-.s ;  hut  all  these  feelihLts  are  personal;  tliev 
travel  with  him  in  his  wandcrinLfs,  and  ai)ide  with  his  people 
wherever  tlicy  may  chance  to  dwell.  They  are  not  attached 
to  the  soil,  imr  interwoven  with  recollections  of  place  and  scenery. 
They  am  not  connected  with  the  sacred  and  deli^'htfnl  associations 
of  home  and  country.     The  wild  man  has  no  hoiue  nor  eonntrv. 

Assumiiii?  the  proposition  that  the  United  States  have  a  clear 
ri<jht  to  estahlish  over  the  Indian  trihes  such  form  of  f^mvermnent 
as  will  Ih'  hest  calculated  to  promote-  the  happiness  of  those  nations, 
and  to  insure  to  them  the  hiirhest  .sttite  of  civilization  of  which  they 
arc  siisccptii)le,  we  hold  that  our  duty  to  e.xtend  these  l)enefits  U- 


AN   KSSAY  ON    TIN:   lIFSTOriY   OP 


441 


fhcni  is  iiii(I<'iii!ilili'.  And  this  should  Im-  di)iio  without  deliiy,  as 
••very  your  is  dimiuisliin;,'  their  uurulMTs,  dctcrioratinjj  th«?ir 
(•liaractor,  and  wtvikcniui,'  the  8yin|)athy  and  the  m  )ral  sense 
of  duty  towards  tliein  wliicli  is  now  full  by  all  good  mou. 

The  plan  that  wo  would  pro|)osc  would  be  to  divide;  the  whole 
Indian  territory  into  <listricts,  as  few  in  number  as  ef)ul(l  be  conve- 
niently arranged,  so  that  (vich  iiii^dit  be  i)rout5ht  under  the  sub- 
jection of  a  jfovcrnor.  who  should  have  ample  |)o\vers,  and  a 
sulFiei  Mit  military  foree  to  make  himself  olMsycd.  The  machinery 
of  this  government  should  be  simple;  its  character  parental ;  its 
oi)je(;t  to  protect,  restrain,  and  reform  the  sava<re.  The  governors 
should  be  instructed  to  rule  with  kindness  and  forbearance,  to  use 
every  ell'ort  to  allure  the  savages  to  practise  the  arts  of  civilized 
life,  to  gain  their  confidence,  and  to  restrain  them  with  a  firm 
hand  from  their  |)resent  habits  of  rapine  and  violence.  The 
subordinate  odicers  should  all  be  men  of  fair  character;  they 
should  ,)e  amply  paid  for  their  services,  and  strictly  forbidden 
from  ..  vvi'iig  in  any  traflic  other  than  such  as  it  might  be  found 
expedient  for  the  Government  to  sanction ;  and  the  most  unceasing 
vigilance  should  be  used  to  protect  the  Indians  from  the  fell  grasp 
of  tlu^  iMiprincij)led  speculator.  These  conditions  may  be  deemed 
impracticable  in  a  government  like;  ours,  sui)ject  to  frequent  changes, 
and  to  the  demorali/ing  indneiicc  of  party  violence  and  political  in- 
trigue. It  is  to  these  causes  that  most  of  the  abuses  of  which  we 
complain  are  attributable;  but  we  hope  for  better  things;  we  hope 
that  benevolent  and  patriotic  men  may  be  found  who  will  agitate 
this  subject  until  a  strong  public  sentiment  shall  be  brought  to  bear 
on  the  national  Legislature  and  that  some  of  the  inlluential  mem- 
bers of  that  brnly,  wno  are  now  "  giving  to  party  that  which  belongs 
to  mankind,"  may  be  induced  to  earn  the  gratitude  and  apjdause  of 
posterity  by  devoting  themselves  to  the  prosecution  of  this  great 
and  philanthropic  reform.     Under  such  ausjiices  the  scheme  may 

succeed. 

so 


442 


THK   NORTH   AMKKICAN   INDIANS. 


Tlio  Indians  slioukl  l)e  told  at  oiu-c,  lliat  they  are  not  itidtiiciKiciit  ; 
iliat  ue  intend  to  rule,  and  to  protect  tlieni ;  tiiat  they  must  (hsist 
entirely  frnin  war,  and  nmst  cease  from  wandering  into  tlie  territo- 
rio  (if  their  neiifldjors.  Tlioy  should  be  adinonislied  to  learn  war 
no  lonjrer,  and  every  exertion  be  u«ed  to  blnnt  their  martial  projH  ii- 
.sities;  military  »  xereises  shonld  i)e  disconraj^a-d ;  marks  of  respect 
and  distinction  should  be  witiiheld  from  chiefs  and  others  who  arc 
eminent  only  for  their  feats  in  l)attle,  while  the  favor  of  the  Govern- 
ment should  be  shown  to  those  who  should  successfully  ciiiivale 
the  ark<,  or  practise  the  civil  and  social  virtue.-^  Instead  .)f  (latter- 
iiilf  their  warriors,  as  our  |)ui)l!c  functionaries  too  often  do,  by  re- 
ferring to  their  martial  exploits,  and  their  descent  fmm  a  line  of 
warriors,  they  should  lie  told  that  bloodslted  is  forbidden  by  our 
reli<rion,  prohibited  by  our  laws,  aiul  wholly  inconsistent  "aI;!'  '<", 
state  of  society;  that  we  reganl  with  abhorrence  the  taking  of  life, 
permitting  it  only,  with  great  reluctance,  in  sell-iiefence;  and  that 
ilie  President  will,  on  all  public  occasions,  distintinish  and  prefer 
those  chiefs  and  inlluential  men  whose  hands  are  clear  of  blood, 
IV.)']  who  do  most  to  preserve  the  lives  and  elevate  the  character  of 
their  people. 

There  can  be  no  doultt  as  to  the  ultimate  efTect  of  sincere,  patient, 
and  continued  eflTorts  to  inculcate  the  j-rls  of  pe.ice,  liy  constant  ap- 
peals to  the  interest  as  well  as  the  moral  feelings  of  those  people, 
aided  bv  kindness,  by  gocnl  example,  and  ii\  .sal'"*"*,  restraint, 
firmly  enforced  by  power.  Ri.t  the  healthnd  oni  .-iiion  of  this  pr<p- 
ci'dure  and  its  success,  depenil  .so  entirely  upim  tjie  eii;irailer  ol  the 
agents  by  whom  it  may  be  conducted,  that  it  would  be  usele.v>  to 
make  toe  attem|)t  unless  it  be  comiuitted  to  men  of  sterling  inte- 
gritv  and  genuine  benevrilence,  who  wnuld  enter  heartily  into  the 
spirit  of  the  enterprise. 

.\  coiUK'il  to  !)(■  selected  li\'  themselves,  cumposed  of  a  few  of 
their  chief  men,  might  assist  the  governor  in  in  ilviu'_'  laws,  MJijeii 
should  be  le",  brief,  and  simple.     The  code  should  iit  lirst  i*!ni)racc 


AN    KSSAY   ON   TIIK   HISTORY    OF 


448 


little  more  than  the  Clirisiian  decalocrue ;  ami  iiosv  laws  might,  from 
time  to  time,  Iw,  added,  to  meet  tlie  growiiiir  exigetu-ies  of  inrreasing 
civilization.  The  council  might  at  first  be  vested  with  judicial 
powers,  the  trial  by  jury  afterwards  ingrafted,  and  a  coiMplete  or- 
ganization of  courts,  with  all  the  forms  of  legal  investiuatioii,  gra- 
dually introduced.  No  violent  change  shoidfl  be  attempted,  no 
sudden  reformation  forced  upon  llic  unprepared  mind  of  the  savage, 
no  abrupt  assault  upon  ancient  customs  or  s\iperstitions  he  per- 
mitted U)  alarm  his  pride  or  his  fears;  but  improvements  should  be 
gradually,  unceasingly,  and  almost  imp«'rceptil>ly  intrcKluced,  until 
the  rank  productions  of  ignorai)('e  and  heathenism  shonhl  he  cleare<l 
away,  and  the  foundations  of  the  social  edifice  l)e  laid,  broad,  strong, 
an<l  symmetrical. 

The  Indian  bureau  at  Washington  should  be  retained  with  en- 
larged powers,  aiid  under  a  watchfid  supf -vision  ;  hut  the  agents, 
the  presents,  the  traders,  the  interpreters,  the  !c<.;ion  of  lieneficia- 
rics,  who  prey  upon  the  funds  appropriated  liy  the  national  lK)unty 
to  the  Indians,  sliouhl  all  l)e  withdrawn,  and  the  practice  of  grant- 
ing annuities  he  discontinued.  No  white  man  but  the  governor 
and  his  sulM)rdinates  should  l)e  permitted  to  reside  or  remain  in  the 
Iitdian  country,  until  the  condition  of  the  people  should  have  be- 
come such  as  to  admit  of  a  hii;her  gradt^  of  government,  when  it 
might  be  desirable  to  adopt  a  dilhn  nt  |Milicy. 

Instead  of  preventing  the  Indians  fVom  cuminix  into  our  country 
to  trade,  they  should  be  encouraged  to  ilo  so.  as  this  wmiid  be  one 
of  tlie  most  elTectual  nu'ans  of  inducing  them  to  learn  onr  lan- 
guage, and  adopt  our  custonis.  riiey  would  se«  our  industry,  onr 
comforts,  and  our  arts,  ind»ibe  our  ojiinions,  become  ri'conciled  to 
our  manners  and  fashions,  and  especiallv  would  get  definite  ideas 
of  the  use  and  value  of  our  varicms  articles  of  property.  They 
would  he  induced  to  jiurchase  arlic'.-s  of  .In  ss  and  ornament,  such 
as  are  worn  l)v  us,  until  by  degrees  thiir  ciwlume  wnuld  lic.ivsimi- 
lated  to  ours.     Imperceptibly  they  wo\dd  fall  into  the  use  of  many 


444 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


tliitif^s  of  wliirli  llicy  are  now  ignorant,  or  which  they  despise  ns 
unsnik'd  to  their  condition,  sucii  as  mechanical  tools,  househohl 
rnrnitiiri',  and  farming  inii»iemcnts.  Every  article  thus  adopted 
would  1)1'  a  messenger  of  civiH/.ation ;  every  art,  comfort,  and 
Inxnry  of  social  life,  which  the  Indian  shonid  learn  to  appreciate, 
would  create  a  new  want,  to  l)e  supplied  hy  us,  and  add  a  new 
bond  to  cement  our  union. 

But  tiie  mo.st  important  end  to  be  gained,  would  be  the  protec- 
tion of  tiie  .savages  from  imposition,  and  from  a  demoralizing  inter- 
course, which,  wliile  it  rol)s  them  of  tlic  petty  avail.s  of  their  hunt- 
ing, depraves  tlitir  character,  and  sours  them  against  the  wliite 
men.  The  traders  who  now  purclia.se  the  furs  and  peltries  of  the 
Indians,  under  the  license  of  the  Goverimient,  enjoy  a  monopoly 
which  enal)les  tliem  to  carry  on  tlie  traffic  upon  their  own  terms, 
and  to  perpetrate  tlie  grossest  frauds  witliout  the  danger  of  detec- 
tion. 'I'lie  place  of  liarter  is  tlie  wilderness,  where  there  is  no 
competition  to  regulate  value,  no  public  opinion  to  restrain  dis- 
honesty, no  law  to  punish  violence;  and  the  trader,  who  adven- 
tures life  and  property  in  a  Inisiness  so  precarious,  may  not  greatly 
strain  the  ordinary  morals  of  trade  in  deeming  it  justifiable  to  in- 
demnify himself  for  his  risks  l)y  extravagant  profits,  ajid  retaliate 
aggression  by  force  or  cunninir,  as  opportunity  may  olfer.  Hu- 
manity shudders  at  the  recital  of  the  nefarious  arts  practised  by  the 
wliite  tr.uh'rs  upon  the  Indians;  yet  the  half  of  them  an?  not  known 
iior  dreamed  ot  by  the  .\iiierican  pecpje. 

Some  instructive  facts  on  this  subject  may  be  gleaned  from  Tan- 
ner's Narrative, — ihe  iiioL'raphy  of  a  man  born  in  Kentucky,  who 
was  caplured  by  the  (liippeway  or  Ojibway  Indians  in  his  ciiild- 
hood,  and  spent  his  life  amoiitr  them, — written  at  his  dictation  bv 
one  of  the  gentlemen  connecte(l  with  Lonus  expedition.  In  this 
work,  we  have  a  minute  account  of  Indian  lite  through  a  series  of 
thirty  years,  embracing  all  the  ordinary  incidents  sind  vicissitudes 
of  the  savage  .state.     Here  we  find  the  traders  sometimes  taking  lnj 


AN  ESSAY   OX   THE  IIISTOUY   OF 


4ir> 


fnrce,  from  a  poor  Indian  liunter,  tlie  prodnce  of  a  whole  year's 
Iiiint,  without  making  liini  any  rt'turn;  sonieliint-s  pilferintf  a  por- 
'ion  while  huying  the  remainder;  and  still  more  frequently  driving 
I  hard  bargain  with  the  intoxicated  savage,  and  wresting  from  him 
a  valuable  property  for  a  very  inadequate  compensation,  consisting 
chielly  of  the  poison  by  which  his  faculties  were  obscured.  In  one 
:!ase,  Mr.  Tanner  tells  of  an  Indian  woman,  his  adopted  mot)ier, 
who,  "in  the  course  of  a  single  day,  sohl  one  hundred  and  twenty 
heaver  skins,  with  a  large  quantity  of  ijullalo  rob(;s,  dr(!ssed  and 
smoked  skins,  and  other  articles,  fur  rum''  This  property,  worth 
several  hundred  dollars,  was  the  product  of  a  whole  season  of  hunt- 
ing of  two  active  men,  the  son  and  adopted  son  of  this  woman, 
attended  l)y  dangers,  difliculties,  and  privations,  which  seem  to  us 
almost  incredible,  and  constituted  the  wh"U>  wealth  of  a  family, 
and  their  only  means  of  support  during  the  inclemency  of  u  long 
northern  winter;  and  the  author  pathetically  concludes,  "of  all  our 
large  load  of  jieltries,  the  pnuhice  of  so  many  days  of  toil,  of  so 
many  long  and  difficult  journeys,  otie  blanlct  and  three  kegs  of  mm 
only  remained,  besides  the  poor  and  almost  worn-out  clothing  of 
;)ur  botlies."  Repeated  instances  of  the  same  kind  are  related  by 
this  author,  exhibiting  a  most  unfavoral)lc  view  of  the  intercourse 
between  the  traders  and  the  Indians,  and  we  have  ample  reason, 
from  other  sources  of  information,  to  believe  that  the  picture  is 
faitlifully  drawn.  These,  it  is  true,  were  Ikitish  traders,  on  the 
inhospitable  sliores  of  Lake  Superior,  far  beyond  the  influence  of 
law  or  Gospel:  we  hope  and  believe  that  such  atrocities  are  not 
permitted  within  the  regular  agencies  of  our  Government.  From 
a  personal  knowledge  of  soi.U'  of  the  gentlemen  engaged  in  the  fur 
trade,  and  of  many  of  the  agents  of  the  United  States,  we  can  say 
with  confidence  that  such  abuses  are  not  practised  with  their  sane- 
tion.  But  human  nature  is  the  same  every  where;  the  debasing 
love  of  gain  has  always  been  found  to  conduce  to  frau<l  and  vio- 
lence, when  unrestrained   Ity  law  and  pulilic  sentiment.     Mercan 


110 


THE   NORTH   AMKKICAN   INDIANS. 


tilt'  integrity  alone  is  not  a  sulliciuiit  saft'Kiianl  a"j;aiiist  temptation. 
'I'liire  are  alMindatit  |)n)ofs  in  otir  own  land,  tlitil  men  cannot  he 
trnsted  unless  surroni'ded  l»y  wliolesorne  restraints,  and  held  to  ri<rid 
responsihility.  History  al)onn(ls  with  lametitable  proofs  of  the  l)a(l 
faith  of  all  trartlo  carried  on  hetween  civilized  and  savage  men  in 
the  countries  of  the  latter :  India,  Africa,  the  c<)asts  of  America,  and 
the  isles  <if  the  ocean,  have  all  witnessed  the  dark  and  dreadful 
elfects  of  the  lust  of  jrain 

N'ot  oidy  is  the  trade  with  these  people  liable  to  abuse,  Imt  all 
our  treaties  with  them  alTord  opportunities  for  the  practice  of  «|fross 
frauds,  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  prevent,  even  with  the 
greatest  care  on  the  [mrt  of  the  ({overnment.  IJut  constituted  as 
our  (Jovernment  is,  it  wouM  be  \iselcss  to  expi ct  any  <,'reat  decree 
of  \ii;ilani'C  on  such  a  subject,  and  the  oidv  imMle  of  j)reventintr  the 
abuse  is  to  remove  the  t)cc;iMon.  We  could  point  to  a  recent  in- 
stance in  which  the  United  States  Itecame  bound  by  treaty  to  pay 
a  certain  description  of  claims  set  up  by  individuals  of  an  Indian 
trilK*.  Cominissioners  were  appointed  to  ascertain  and  liquidate 
the  amonnts  due  to  each  person,  who,  in  the  course  of  their  inve>- 
titfation,  iliscovered  that  nearlv  the  whole  of  those  claims  had  been 
secretly  purclia«ie<l  by  s|)eculators  for  trifling  considerations,  luid 
that  immense  sums  granted  in  a  spirit  of  lilierality  l»v  Congress 
were  aI)out  to  Ik*  intercepted  by  n  sei  of  men-  marauders,  while  tlie 
l)eneficiaries  to  whom  it  was  intended  to  secure  a  livebhood  had 
already  expendtd  the  |)ittances  ijiven  to  them  in  exchaiiire.  W  c 
are  happy  to  say,  that,  in  this  instance,  the  fraud  attempted  to  l»e 
practised  i)y  cunning  upon  ignorance  was  prevented.  We  shall 
not  attempt  to  ex|)ose  the  numerous  impositions  of  this  kind,  liy 
which  the  munificence  of  onr  novernment  has  Immmi  diverted  from 
its  legitimate  diannels;  the  purpose  of  this  essay  do<'s  not  reipiire 
stndi  disclosures.  The  public  e:ir  has  lieeu  pained  and  sickened  b\' 
manifold  rciitals  of  tlie  rapiicilv  whicli  has  lirst  driven  the  red  man 
from  his  hunting-grouitds,  and  tiicn  stripped  him  of  lh«!  |K)or  price 


AN   ESSAY   ON   TlIK   HISTORY  OF 


447 


of  liis  licrilu'it'.  Tlif  si'iidiiijf  of  llli^s^illll;lrR■s  to  labor  by  tlu'  side 
of  tb(!  iiiisiTcimts  wlio  lluis  swiiidl;  and  dtbaudi  the  if^noiaiit 
savage,  is  u  inockfiy  of  tbu  olliix',  and  a  waste  of  the  time  of  these 
vahiuble  men. 

If  tlie  Indians  were  required  to  trade  within  our  States,  their  in- 
tt'ri-ourse  aould  lie  with  rcj^ular  traders  in  the  bosom  of  orifani/.cd 
societies,  and  in  the  light  of  public  observation  ;  and  the  same  law 
and  pidtlic  sentiment  which  protects  us  would  protect  them.  In- 
stead of  biirtering  peltries  for  merciiandisc,  without  a  definite  idea 
of  the  value  of  either,  they  would  use  money  as  the  medium  of 
exchange,  and  become  accustomed  to  fi.x  ])rices  u[)on  the  articles  of 
tradic.  We  attach  some  importance  to  this  change.  Under  the 
present  system,  the  Indian  delivers  a  package  of  skins,  and  receives 
a  lot  of  merchandise,  consisting  of  blanket.^,  cloth,  calico,  l)e;uis, 
knives,  gunpowder,  &c. ;  and  !i  very  rough  estimate  only  can  Ih; 
formed  of  the  relative  values  of  the  articles,  while  in  regard  to  the 
(pialitv  th(  re  can  lie  but  little!  room  for  choic".  The  formation  of 
provident  and  frugal  habits  depends  much  ip<iu  proper  notions  ol 
value,  and  the  jnacticc  of  elo.se  lU'aling.  '  'he  economical  maxiins 
of  Dr.  FVaiddin  could  nut  be  praeti.sed  in  a  community  in  which 
there  should  be  no  small  coins,  and  would  not  be  understood  liv  a 
people  without  money,  ll",  for  instance,  there  should  be,  in  any 
coiMitrv.  no  coin,  uor  re|)resentaiive  of  money,  of  a  less  denomina- 
tion than  a  dollar,  the  fractions  luider  that  sum  w(ud(I,  in  all  trans- 
actions, i.,-  thrown  oil,  and  would  cease  t«  be  regarded,  and  the  peo- 
ple would  never  income  close  calculators  in  small  transactions. 
'The  maxim,  "take  care  >f  pciicj'  and  pounds  will  take  care  of 
themselves,"  would  h.ive  no  a|iplicatiou  among  them.  Such  was 
the  slate  of  thinirs,  iind  such  the  elVect,  a  frw  veal's  ago,  in  soiik  of 
our  \\ fstern  States,  when  small  bank  notes  were  not  in  cinulatioii, 
nnd  scaricU  au\  coin  less  than  half  dollars,  ami  when  it  was  .xo 
customarv  to  throw  oil  th  ■  frarlioiis  less  than  a  dollar,  that  it  was 
thought  mean  to  insist  oi.  the  collection  of  a  balance  which  coidd 


448 


THK   NORTH   AMKRKAX   INDIANS. 


only  be  counted  in  cents.  So  strikinjr  was  tiic  result  of  this  state 
of  tilings  to  one  not  uccustomed  to  it,  tlia*  a  sagacious  Englishman 
remarked  lo  the  writer,  as  an  "alarmiiig  circumstance,  the  want  of 
small  coin,  and  the  consequent  pride  or  carelessness  of  the  people 
in  regard  to  tlieir  minor  pecuniary  transactions."  To  estimate  the 
lorce  of  this  remark,  it  is  only  necessary  to  contrast  the  disposition 
alluded  to  with  the  llirift  of  a  New  England  farmer,  who  would  in 
a  year  accumidate  a  considerable  sum  by  hoarding  the  pittances 
whiih  a  frontier  settler  would  scorn  to  put  into  his  pocket.  If  tiiis 
reasoning  be  just,  its  application  to  our  subject  is  easy.  The 
change  from  the  rude  and  loose  transaction  of  bartering  comnuKli- 
lies,  to  the  more  accurate  method  of  selling  and  buying  for  money, 
would  be  the  fust  step  in  the  improvement  we  pro|)ose ;  the  next 
would  be  a  correct  api»reciatioi'.  of  the  values  of  money  and  mer- 
chandi.se;  and  we  think  that  sagacity  in  deiili:!g,  frugality  in  ex- 
penditure, and  correct  notions  in  regard  to  property,  woidd  follow. 
The  Indian  at  present  knows  nothing  of  money,  except  from  seeing 
boxes  of  diillars  expo.sed  when  the  annuities  are  paid  to  the  chiefs; 
but  if  the  individuals  of  that  race  were  in  the  iiabit  of  carrying  the 
products  of  tiie  chase  to  a  market,  where  they  would  learn  to  fi-el 
the  excitement  induced  by  competition,  and  where,  as  they  wan- 
dered from  shop  to  sho|),  a  variety  of  articles,  (liffering  in  ipiulity 
and  price,  would  1«!  otlercd  in  exchange,  we  cannot  doid)t  that  the 
result  would  l)e  beneficial. 

The  Indians  are  prevented  from  keeping  live  stock,  «)r  making 
any  i)eriiianent  |)rovisioii  for  the  future  by  tlie  insecurity  of  the 
lives  they  lead.  The  corn  raised  by  their  women,  their  only 
grain,  and  often  their  sole  provision  for  tlie  winter,  is  kept  in  pits 
dug  in  the  ground,  which  is  carefully  levelled  over  the  concealed 
treasure,  so  as  to  bailie  the  search  of  a  stranger  who  might  s<;ek  f«)r 
it.  Hut  though  hidden  from  an  enemy,  a  large  portion  of  the  corn 
is  inevitably  destroyeil  l»y  the  moisture  of  tlie  place  of  deposit,  and 
in  some  seasons  i)ut  little  would  Iw  saved  by  this  rude  plan  ol 


AN  ESSAY  ON   TIIK  HISTORY  OF 


449 


presorvatioii.  An  Indian  wlio  wiw  usked,  liy  an  iniiuisitivo  travel- 
ler, wliv  tliey  liitl  not  store  tlieir  corn  in  liouses  as  we  do,  instead 
of  l)nryin<f  it,  at  the  risk  ofliaving  so  niueli  of  it  destroyed,  replied, 
promptly,  tiiat  if  they  were  to  i)ut  their  corn  in  houses  their  ene- 
mies would  eoinc^  in  the  winter  and  kill  them  to  get  it.  If  they 
were  asked  why  they  keep  no  domestic  animals  but  dogs  and 
horses,*  the  reply  would  Ik;  similar.  I'liey  have  no  prejudice 
against  any  means  which  would  furnish  ihem  with  a  regular 
supply  of  fcHMl  without  lal)or.  They  build  no  houses,  make  no 
fields,  nor  attempt  any  provision  for  a  permanent  residence ;  and 
alt  for  the  same  reason — properly  of  any  description  would  tempt 
the  rapacity  of  their  enemies.  Security  is  only  found  in  poverty 
and  swiftness  of  foot,  and  in  their  happic.xt  static  they  are  always 
prepared  for  instant  (light.  The  attempt  to  civilize  a  people  thus 
situated  is  absurd.  We  have  In'gun  at  the  wrong  end.  Their 
haiiits  must  first  Ik)  changed,  and  their  physical  wants  supplied, 
iH'fore  any  lieneficial  effect  can  be  prmluced  upon  their  rninds  and 
hearts.  The  pressure  of  external  danger,  whi<'h  now  keeps  their 
minds  excited,  and  their  pa.ssions  in  a  state  of  continual  exaltation, 
niu.st  l)e  removed,  and  the  imlucements  to  war  decreased,  by  lessen- 
ing the  occasions  of  provocation. 

When  i)laced,  as  we  propose,  under  the  imau'diate  care  of  our 
Government,  and  restrained  from  war,  the  first  measure  should  bo 
to  collect  them  in  villages,  and  giv»^  them  periimmtU  habitations. 
Tliev  shoidtl  Im!  encouraged  to  build  hou.ses,  to  own  cattle,  hogs, 
and  poultry,  and  to  cultivate  fields  and  gardens.  They  should  at 
first  be  assisted  in  building,  and  a  liberal  su|»[)ly  of  domestic  ani- 
mals should  Ik;  given  to  them.  But  this  aid  should  Ih-  extended  to 
them  with  discrimination  ;  and,  while  it  furnished  them  with  the 
means  of  improving  their  condition,  it  slioidd  not  degenerate  into  a 
mere  gratuity  to  support  them  in  idleness,  and  to  Ik^  ltM)ked  for  with 
thi'  nluru  of  each  revolving  season.  It  should  be  distinctly  under- 
»it<HKl  that  the  Ciovernment  would  not  su])ply  them  with  fmxl  and 
67 


400 


THK   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


clothiiii^.  Tin-  aiiiiiiitifs,  wliicli  wo  arc  bound  l»y  treaty  to  jmy, 
would  liavo  to  be  paid  in  good  faith ;  but  all  otla-r  giatuitits, 
i-xci'pt  Miich  as  tlieir  change;  of  lifo  might  rundcr  tLinporurily 
noet's.sary,  should  be  withheld. 

The  Indians,  placed  under  these  circumstances,  would  soon 
Ixjcomu  an  indolent  pastoral  p(!ople.  They  would  not  at  first 
become  an  ;igricullural  or  an  indu.strious  race.  That  change 
would  be  too  violent.  'l"he  transition  from  the  chase  and  the  war- 
path to  the  plough  would  be  dillicult.  Their  indolence,  their 
pride,  their  martial  and  gentlemanly  dislike  of  lalx)r,  and  their  lovt 
of  sle«-p,  would  all  rebel  against  ever}  sort  of  muscular  e.vertion 
which  could  by  any  means  be  avoided,  while  all  their  |)rejuilices 
would  rise  'ip  in  opi)o.siti(in  tit  the  indignity  of  performing  the 
servile  oHices  which  they  sujipo.se  to  lie  peculiarly  within  the 
province  of  the  women.  They  would  grow  lazy  anil  harndess. 
Prevented  from  going  to  war  they  would  lose  their  martial  habits, 
the  inlluem-e  of  the  war  chiefs  would  Ims  destroyed,  and  the  |)ro- 
pensity  for  rapine  would  W'  blunted.  Their  cattle,  roaming  over 
the  rich  plains  to  which  nearly  all  the  tribes  have  now  JK'en  driven, 
woulil  reipiire  b\it  little  care,  and  would  soon  increa.se  to  large 
lierils.  Abumlance  <if  tbod  wouM  lessen  the  necessity  for  hutiti.  j^; 
and  the  men,  left  without  emph)y  and  with  little  necessity  for 
mental  or  iKnlily  e.vertion,  woidd  lose  their  active  habits. 

The  women,  as  ihev  now  do,  would  cultivate  corn,  l)iit  willi 
increased  encouragement  to  indn.stry,  for  the  fruits  «il'  their  laboi 
would  be  more  abundant,  and  would  Iw  secured  to  them.  In  otlicr 
respects  their  condition  would  be  improved  and  idevated,  and  the\ 
would  Invome  important  agents  in  the  civilization  of  their  race. 
The  savage  woman  is  debarred  of  the  prerogatives  and  dejtrived 
from  exercising  the  virtues  of  her  sex  by  her  wanderinix  lite.  The 
fireside,  the  family  cinle,  all  the  comforts,  lu.xurie.s,  and  enjoy 
ments  which  arc  comprised  in  the  word  liottif,  are  created  and 
regulated    by   female   alfectiou,  inlluence,  and    industry — and  all 


AN   KSSAY   ON  TIIK   IHSTORY  OF 


451 


thcso  iiPv-  niikiiovvu  lo  tlii'  s!iviiif('.  lie  lias  no  li  tine.  Tlit-  soften- 
iii}^  Jiiul  t*iiiii)lilin<f  iiilliu'iict's  of  ilio  donu'stic  rin^lc  »rv  unknown  to 
him  ;  and  tho  woman,  liiivinjf  no  field  for  the  exorcise  of  the  virtues 
pcculiiir  to  her  sex,  lun'or  appears  in  her  true  character,  nor  is 
invested  with  the  tender,  the  healthful,  the  ennohlintjf  influence 
which  renders  her,  in  her  proper  spher*',  the  friend  and  adviser  of 
man.  We  woulil  elevate  the  savaijfe  woman  to  her  leffitimate 
pliu'c  in  the  RCHMal  system,  and  makt!  her  the  \nicoiiscious,  hnt 
most  eflicient  instrument  in  the  civilization  of  her  race;.  We  feel, 
and  see,  and  acknowledge,  in  every  department  of  life,  the  ame- 
liorating and  conservative  inlluencu!  of  female  virtue,  and  we  would 
give  this  inestimalih^  !)lessinir  to  the  savage,  even  against  his  will. 
We  would  restrain  his  feet  from  wandering,  and  his  hand  lioni 
hlmx],  and  force  upon  him  the  softening  and  elevating  endearments 
of  home.  Then  would  the  Indian  woman  assume  her  aj)propriate 
stutiun  and  her  proper  duties.  The  wrt!tched  wigwam,  or  the  tem- 
porary skin  lodge,  allord  no  theatre!  for  her  ingenuity,  no  field  lor 
the  exercise  of  any  feminine  virtue  or  accomplishment.  The 
drudge,  who  spends  her  whole  existence  in  following  the  savage 
hunter  in  his  perilous  wanderings,  may  learn  to  share  his  hardi- 
hood and  ferocity,  hut  can  never  have  either  the  power  or  dis- 
position to  soften  his  rude  nature.  Mistress  of  a  hoii.sr,  she  would 
awaken  to  a  sense  of  her  own  importance,  and  Itecoine  alive  to  kind 
and  generous  impulses,  which  she  knows  not  in  her  present  con- 
dition. The  pos.><ession  of  a  home  would  suggest  ideas  of  comfort, 
and  bring  into  action  the  whole  train  of  household  carets.  IVitle 
and  aflection  would  unite  in  suggesting  new  wants  and  novel 
improvements.  That  fidelity  which  she  now  exhibits  in  the 
patient  endurance  of  toil  and  danger  would  expand  and  thrive  in 
the  more  genial  exerci.se  of  the  domestic  economy ;  and  even  her 
vanity,  leaning  to  virtue's  side,  would  exert  a  genial  influence. 
One  article  of  furniture  after  anothe.-  would  be  inlrwluced  ;  and,  as 
every  woman  desires  to  Ijo  as  rich  and  us  respectable  vm  her  neigh- 


458 


TIIK   NO  Kill    A.MKUICAN    INf)l\\S. 


Wn,  wliatcvrr  out'  |iiiiniit'tl  woiiM  In-  (It'f<irii!  1)V  all  tlii'  dtlicrs. 
Kniiii  the  iiirri-  iicccssaiii's  of  lilc  tlit-v  wdiild  Julxaiiof  to  its  com- 
forts  aiul  its  luxuricH.  Vanity  would  kiiulK'  tlio  love  of  dicss  and 
fiirnilurc;  and  riviilry,  if  no  lM!tl»»r  fonlinj?,  would  introdurt?  clciin- 
lincss  and  h<mk1  liouHcwifrry.  'I'lic;  passing  ircncration  niiirjil  not 
lie  niatfiiallv  rliaiij^crl  ;  lull  tlif  yoimi^  would  ^row  up  witli  a  new 
train  of  liaiiits  and  associations,  'i'licy  woidd  be  a(TusliiiM«'d  to 
sleep  on  beds,  to  sit  upon  cliairs,  and,  softened  as  well  as  enervated 
liy  indul<;;enees  uidiuown  to  their  ancestors,  tli(*y  would  lie  less  lilted 
for  the  fatigue  of  war  and  the  cliase,  aiitl  more  susceptilih!  uf  tin; 
eiijoynients  of  social  life. 

It  is  worthv  of  ohservation,  that  those  who  have  been   inosl  suc- 
cessful  in  L^aiuini;   the  coiilidence  of  the 


Ind 


laiis 


K'cn 


th 


Quaker  and  the  Hoiiian  Catholic;  —  the  one  display  ui^  all  tiie 
nia<i;niliconce  of  a  ifoiiieous  cereinonial,  and  the  other  all  the  sim- 
plicity of  entire  plainness,  liut  the  success  of  both  was  atlribu- 
taiiie  to  the  same  |iriiii'iple.  They  liolh  .secured  the  attention  of  the 
Indian  by  kindness;  and  their  forms  of  failli,  in  both  cases,  ap- 
pealed to  the  senses.  Tlie  Quaker  e.\hiiiiled  a  practical  denioiistra- 
tioa  of  tln!  doctrines  of  the  Uedeeiner,  by  the  observance  of  |)eace, 
humility,  kindness,  temperance,  and  justice;  and  there  could  be  no 
niistuke  as  to  a  faith,  tlie  elfects  of  which  were  so  marked  and  salu- 
tary. The  Catholic,  in  his  explanations  to  the  In-athen,  dwelt 
chieily  on  the  moral  emie  of  the  Dible,  and  e.\iiiiiited  outward  fnnns 
and  synilHils,  which  awakened  attention,  excited  the  ima;riii;ttiiin, 
and  impressed  the  memory.  Tlie  I'rnleslanl  missionary  has  iisualh 
proceeded  ii|ion  a  dilfereiit  plan.  !!(>  atlempls  to  explain  In  the 
uncultivated  mind  of  the  savajre  the  sciuMiie  of  salvation  by  a  Sa- 
viour; that  complex,  wonderful,  and  stii|iendous  plan,  in  the  eon- 
templation  of  which  the  liiL'hest  mental  powers  of  the  philosopher 
liiid  full  employment;  aii<l  the  savatfi-  listens  with  iinrediiiilv.  oe- 
cinise  lie  listens  to  mere  all^tral'tiolls  wliicli  cdiivi  \  to  his  iiiimi  iki 
lefiiiite  ideiiM.      iSiich  teachers  forget  that  the  Creator,  in  i'e\eatin<' 


AN    KSSAY    ON   TilK   IIISTOUY   OF 


468 


llis  will  to  mail,  jiivc  first  to  the  I'.r  rianlis  tin;  siiii|ilr.st  loriii  of 
faitli;  to  till!  iiiori!  ciiiijflii.  iicd  llniin'ws  ii  mon^  coiiiiiU'x  H3Ktcm 
wnM  revealed,  and  u  wider  raiiirc  of  tlioii^^lit  waso|M'iicil ;  tlie  cominir 
of  a  Diviiio  Saviour  was  Hliadowcd  forth  throip^li  a  loii^  series  of 
years,  and  at  hiht,  upon  ininds  tliiiH  eiiiijflitened,  dawned  the  full 
eiriilifeiice  of  the  <  liriKtian  reliifion.  Tiie  reasoiiiii<f  powers  of  the 
Indians  liave  never  U'en  exercised.  An  aeiite  and  experieneed 
observer  of  that  raec  has  said  that,  in  regard  to  tlio  mass  of  tlin 
people,  they  f^ive  no  evidenee  of  huvinj^  ever  entertained  an  n\>- 
striK't  idea.  Thus,  in  their  s|)eeelu's,  tiie  fi},Mirative  laii^iiuife,  wiiicli 
hoiih;  have  attriiiiited  to  a  poetical  teinperainent,  is  really  used  from 
necessity  to  siijiply  the  want  of  th(>iit,dit,  of  descriptive  powers,  and 
even  of  words;  for  tlu'y  ean  only  make  themselves  iinderslcKxl  hv 
referrinij  to  sensihle  ohjeets  around  them.  Now  I  hiimlily  conceive, 
that,  if  ever  the  (christian  system  is  to  he  successfully  communi- 
eated  to  siieh  a  peo|tU',  we  must  follow  what  I  su|)pose  to  he  the 
(lospel  plan — first,  teach  them  the  simple  duties  and  virtues  of  a 
pastoral  peoph-,  then  surrouml  them  with  the  ii  oiraints  and  olili^a- 
tions  of  a  moral  and  ci\il  law;  and,  lastly,  when  their  minds  are 
trained  to  thoni;ht,  to  oliedience,  and  t<i  a  sense  of  responsihilit v, 
iinfohl  to  them  the  jflorioiis  truths  of  the  (lospel  of  salvation. 

'I'lie  almost  frantic  passion  for  ardent  spirits,  which  is  evinced  liy 
all  savajjes,  would  proiiahly  lie  corrected  In  a  chaiiu;e  of  lil'e  ,  for 
we  'nave  no  donlit  that  one  of  the  causes  of  their  attaihmeiil  to  it  is 
that  it  deadens  the  paiiilul  sensi;  of  hunirer,  which  amoii'^  them  has 
l)ecome  constitutional.  An  Indian,  like;  a  wolf,  is  always  liunifry, 
and  of  course  always  ferocious.  In  onler  to  tame  him,  the  pressure 
of  hunjj[er  must  Im;  removed;  it  is  useless  to  .ittempt  to  operate  on 
tlie  mind  wliile  the  liody  is  in  a  state  of  siillerinyf.  It  is  well  as- 
certained that  the  Indian  is  lor  alwiut  half  his  time  destitute  of  fiKKl, 
iiiul  olilijtjed  either  to  endure  tlie  pant,'s  of  hummer,  or  lo  use  the 
most  arduous  exertions  to  procure  provisions.  The  Inhitiial  im- 
Drovidenco  of  the  savag*-,  his  wandering  mode  of  existence,  and  the 


454 


THE  NORTH   A.MEUICAN   INDIANS. 


insociirity  of  pro|)crty,  prcvnits  )iiiii  from  layiiiu  up  niiy  HTore 
duriiit,'  till'  scasciii  of  plenty,  hikI,  when  wiiilir  covers  the  liosoin  of 
tlie  eiirtli  witli  her  tiiaiitle  of  snow,  hiiiidredH  and  even  tlioiisands 
perish  fur  want  of  fiHwI.  Uiiexperted  vieissitiides  of  tho  Hoasons, 
and  lonir-eontinuod  extremity  of  heat  or  cold,  sweep  off  these  un- 
protected wretches  with  fearfnl  havoc.  A  drought,  wliich,  by 
destroying  the  iierba<fe,  deprives  the  fjanie  of  support,  or  a  (h-ep 
snow  whicli  sh\its  up  all  the  sources  of  supply,  spreads  a  famine 
througliout  liie  tribes,  and  thins  their  iuimlH>rs  with  fearfid  rapidity. 
In  the  inhospitable  r^'ifions  whicli  Inirder  on  the  northern  lakes  and 
extend  Ihenco  to  the  Mis.souri,  includiii'4  the  country  of  the  (Jhippc- 
ways,  Oltawavs,  Menoniiiies,  \\  inneliajfoes,  and  a  portion  of  the 
Sioux,  the  horrors  of  starvation  bnxMl  over  the  land  duriiii,'  the  con- 
tinuance of  dieir  long  and  dreary  winters,  and  recur  with  each 
revolving  year. 

To  be  fully  satisfied  on  tliis  point,  it  is  only  necessary  to  read 
"Tanner's  Narrative,"  which  was  carefully  prepared  by  one  who 
was  capable  of  understanding  the  exa<'t  nicaning  of  the  relator,  and 
stating  it  with  clearness.  His  whole  thirty  years  among  the  Indians 
were  spent  in  active  exertions  to  get  somelliing  to  eat.  'I'lie  Nar- 
rative presents  an  an'ecting  picture  of  an  active  and  energetic  life, 
checkered  with  dangers,  toils,  and  struggles,  yet  with  no  higher 
object  than  that  of  obtaining  a  bare  subsistence.  The  incidents  are 
stirring  in  their  nature;  the  adventures  exhibit  a  iMtldiiess,  a  pa- 
tience of  toil  and  fatigue,  and  a  hardihood  of  endurance,  whicti, 
exerted  on  a  more  dignified  .scene  of  a<"tion,  woidd  have  elevatesl 
the  actor  into  a  hero;  but  the  vicissitudes  are  cliietly  those  induced 
by  the  diangcs  of  the;  sea.sons  and  tin;  abundance  or  scarcity  of 
game;  and  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  'I'anner  resulted  from  the  alter- 
nations of  poverty  and  plenty,  of  repletion  and  starvation !  Few 
solemnities,  and  fewer  amusements,  are  spoken  of  throughout  the 
volume;  of  rest,  domestic  quiet,  or  social  enjoyment,  there  is  none; 
and  whenever  a  number  of  Indians  collected  together  they  'vere 


AN    HSSAY   ON   TIIK   IIISTOUY   OF 


455 


|irtHfiitly  ilis|itr.s('(l  by  hiiii^;,.!-.     '|'(,  live  time,  four,  or  five  diiya 
witliiitit  I'litMl  WW  not  iiiu'OMiiiioii.     .SiMiiiliiin's  tlicy  HulwiHtod  for 


\vi'»'k«  iipoii  a  lilllc  lM'!ir«  K'"*-'"*"' i  xoiiit'UrncH  tlii-y  rliuwrd  llnir 
poUrioH  and  mioitiihouh.  Ofti'ii  tiny  wrrc  ri'diu-ed  to  cut  their doj(s, 
or  to  snllsi^t  wliolf  days  iipnn  tlio  inner  l)ark  of  trees. 


'I'll 


le  moral   inllnence  of  tliis    iMiule   i 


>(  lil 


e,   as   disi'ldsed    in   tliu 


volnnie  alluded  to,  is  most  dejilorable.  'I'iu^  fre(|iient  and  snilden 
rocnrrenee  of  famine  cMervatfs  tiie  mind,  and  destroys  its  (Mier^^y 
find  e!:iMlieity.  'I'lh'  want  of  employment,  and  tlie  aUseneo  of  a 
!-nidalile  olijiul  of  pursnit,  leaves  the  thinking  laenlly  dormant,  and 
u;i\es  plaee  to  ehiidish  desires  ami  pnerile  sn|terstiti<ins.  (io(Nl  and 
had  fortinie  are  aserUied  to  friendly  or  mali;{nant  spirits,  and  a  lilind 
fatalism  nsnrps  the  plaee  of  reason.  'I'lu'ir  neeissities  and  sidl'er- 
in<f!*,  and  the  want  of  so(  i;d  intercourse,  render  them  srilisli,  and 
lead  tiuMn  to  st"al,  to  hide  from  eai'h  other,  and  to  praeti.xe  every 
species  v'J  rapaeity  ami  meanness;  and  this  is  not  the  tale  of  ono 
(lav,  or  of  a  year,  lint  the  disuustinij;  hnrden  of  a  story  whieli  eoin- 
prehends  a  series  of  years,  and  deserihes  the  peo[tle  of  a  whole 
region. 

Anion^  the  mon;  soutiuM'n  trilHW,  a  milder  elimatt!  and  a  eonntry 
more  prolific  in  the  supply  of  fo(H|  cxcinpt  the  inhabitants  fntni  tho 
tVeipu-nt  oec\irrenee  of  wide-spread  and  long-eontinned  famine, 
hut  they  are  far  from  liein^^  retrnlarly  or  wi'll  supplied  with  fond 
On  the  fertile  plains — watered  hy  tin;  Missouri,  tin;  Arkansas,  and 
lied  River — the  Indian  hrave,  mounted  on  the  nativt'  horse  and 
nttirod  in  all  the  (inery  of  the  savaije  state,  exhibits  tho  most  favor- 
able aspect  of  the  .savau;e  stiti-,  and  his  character  rises  to  the 
hitfhest  urade  of  elevation  attained  by  man  jus  a  mere  animal. 
The  jfreat  droves  of  bulfalo  that  roam  over  those  prairies  supply 
liim  with  fo(Kl  ai.l  elothin'4;  and  the  u.se  of  the  horse,  while  it 
adds  larifely  to  his  prido  and  his  eniei<'niv  as  a  warrior,  i-ontributes 
jLjreatly  to  his  sueees,;  as  a  luuiter,  and  his  enjoyment  of  his  wild 
mode  of  life.    Hut  the  existence  of  the  tiiaii  who  depeiuls  on  huntiuy 


Tin;    NoUrU    AMKUICAN    INDIANS. 


fo 


or  n  sultsistciicr  is,  iii  ll(•^t,  ixiniiirly  |»rt'fai"i»iiis. 


he  iiiiiriiitioiiM 


of  iiiiiinuls,  tlj(iii<r|i  sdiiM'w  li:it  iii\  stcrioiis,  arc  rrcijiuMit  ;  and  the 
same  (lislrii't  wlii'li  at  (Hic  tiinr  alioumls  in  liuH'alu,  tlccr,  lit'ur,  or 
s(>in(!  otiirr  aiMina),  is  at  anotlar  cnlircly  (li'scrlcil  l)y  tlu;  Nanin 
(Ifscri|iti<iit  (if  (|ua(lru|H'(ls.  VlxirmMS  ol'  In-at  and  cold,  and  tlic 
nins('i|n('iii  I'ailiirt'  of  siil),sist(Mn't',  arc  |iri)l>ali|y  llic  nmn!  uhiuiI 
causes  nf  tlicsc  iih)' cnicuts ;  liut  there  are  instances  in  wliicli  they 
cannot  l»c  traced  to  any  apparent  ( :iiis<'. 


lie   iidi:!liit:iiits  III   tlie    Sand\Mcli   i.-iands,  when    lirst   \  isi 


tr<|   l> 


'die  Miirii|>c:ins,  \\ere  savay;cs,  as  imcivilizeil  anri  liarlianuis  a>  tlie. 
\nrlli  Aiiiciic  1  Indiiuis,  and  were  liesiiles  addicted  to  soiii"  vices 
whicli  are  cnmp  ir.iti\ely  imknown  to  the  )•  Iter,  'I'lieir  insular 
|iiisition,  their  cliinalc,  their  indoienl  and  liiMirioiis  hahits  aixl 
several  other  peculiarities  .A'  condition  and  chaiactt'r,  rendered 
tliein  niucli  less  liKcl  to  liecoine  the  suhjects  of  ci\  ili/.ation  than 
the  iimrc  hardv  inliahitaiits  of  the  North  American  continent.  \°(-t 
here  the  cvperiiiient  has  U-eu  triumphantly  snccessful.  '{'he  civili- 
zation of  the  Sandwich  Islanders  has  heeii  hc  completii  us  to  leave 
no  riHiin  for  a  doiiht  or  u  cavil.  They  have  forinally  aiirouated 
tiieir  sava'jc  custnnis,  renounced  their  pii^nui  superstitions,  and 
ahandoiied  their  urmer  iihmIc  of  life.  'i'l;e  chanifc  has  not  hccn 
Uicrelv  loriiial  and  theoretical,  hut  actual,  practii  ai,  and  thoroiiL'h  ; 
and  the.M-  i'liimlers,  so  iiilely  pluiii;ed  m  the  most  iirulal  practices 
of  lieathenism,  rank  amoii^  the  civilized  and  ( 'hristian  nations  of 
the  earth,     'i'hev  have   received   the    Hihle,  and   iiecoine  convcrtcil 


to   th.;     CI 


irisliaii    taiti 


The   American    missionaries  e>.lalilished 


arnoM^  them  liave  liceii  eminently  successful  in  teachiie^'  the  doe- 
|)cl,  and    in   liuild:n;r   up  the   church  nf  the    Ue- 


triiies  of  the  (  ios 
di'emcr.  Tlie  comcrls  are  numerous,  emhraciii<{  the  majority 
of  the  po|iiiialioii,  and  they  L'ive  aliundant  evidence  of  sinceritv, 
zeal,  and  dcotion.  The  .m-IiooI.x  are  vve!l  attended,  and  include  iih 
pupils  the  ^reat  mass  of  the  popiiiaiion.  So  » iimplctc  has  lieeii  t!'.c 
revolution,  and  hu  rapid  the  progress  of  this  umiahli'  peojile   in  liie 


AN    KSSAV    (IN    TllK    IHSIOKV    OF 


4S7 


attiiiriiiicnt  of  ri'liLrioiis  iiistriii'tiun,  and  iti  (lie  aiiuliiinttiiiii  nf  thoir 

^(■llrl'lil  rollitilinti,  tliat  tlli'\    Will    |il'iil)al)l V  siN)i|    licculiic,  ll°  tlll'V  am 

not  now,  an  nnroinniDnlv  nmral  and  wilt  disrijilinid  naliim,  and 
alford  an  fxani|il<' nf  |iii'tv  and  '^mxl  uuMinniriit  wliiili  ini<^lil  Im> 
fiilliiwt'd  uitli  advanla^o  li\  sunii-  nl  tin-  oldi-st  cuniniiinitii'M  of 
( 'liristindoin. 

In  marking;  llit>  rliaiactcri>tii-  tratiii'is  ut'  lliih  nN.>lntiiin  we  dis- 
ciivcr  sitinc  (if  tilt'  ('IcnicntH  wlncli  \m'  have  insistrd  ii|«iii  as  iiidis- 
ptMiMalilr  in  itrinuiiiif  alMint  a  sinular  ri'siilt  anii)ii<;:  niir  own  Indians. 
Till-  insular  |")>iiiiin  ut  tlir  islandits  irstraint'd  I  iriii  iVuiii  tint 
waiidcrintr  liaiuts,  wlmii  wr  <°<>n.>idrr  jMi'iiliarly  litmlili'  to  tlio 
inlriHlni'tioii  ol  i-iv  ih/alinii,  wiiilt-  it  greatly  iiirlailtd  linn  it|i|ii>rtii- 
nilir.s  joi'  war,  and  tlir  indiilu- lur  nj'  tliiisc  |ii'ii|)('iisil^rs  Uiirli  aru 
iiisr|»araltlt'  iVoin  I  lit'  Niali-  nf  war,  i'M|M'(iallv  aiiiniitT  savain's — llm 
lust  I'lir  i-ariii'u'f.  and  lln'  ln>t  Inr  |tliindir  'I'lny  \M'rr  Iiit  Irniii 
tllU  Hllliiitrr  il.tluiinrt!  Ill  a  jiHisr  |iii|llllal|i>i|  ll|li)n  tlirir  linrdtrs, 
|iri'viiiu;  ii(Min  tlicir  snlMiaiu'i*,  and  drniut'ali/.iii}:  tlnir  rliarartrr; 
and,  Irnni  lln  prcHsiirc  nl  a  Mnpi-rior  iii)|iiilatii>n,  ixrilinif  rontin- 
uallv  llu-ir  jruiiMisy  and  iiatr<-d  Tlirrr  uas,  it  is  tnii',  a  niaiii*!! 
SlltKliHl)  inilufiirf,  wliii'li  wmild  IiIim'  kr|it  iIum'  |M'ii|ilt'  sava'^rs  jnr 
i»v«r,  lor  till'  wtii>l  111'  piir|i)Hu-M ;  Init  tins  was  i>appil\  uni  rimiir  li\ 
till-  porwtviTainT  ni'  titc  AiiiiTii'ati  iiiisHiunarirs,  »itri'ni.'tl(rin  >l  li\ 
till'  aid  of  iiiir  iiH^al  nilirrrs,  and  nf  a  lar^r  pMilioii  <<\  nnr  ri'in- 
Mirri'ial  niarini'  Iradiii!.!  in  limsi'  seas 

Till'  rapid  and  rmnplrlr  nviiluliDii  I'lVcMi  d  in  tin  .  harai  tir  nf 
tlit'si'  iNlaiidcrs  all'tu'ds  mi  apt  an  illiiMralinn  of  inn  miIijii  I,  tiiat  w.n 
tliink  It  iiiav  nut  Im'  nniiiton-stinir  In  ipmlr  i  trw  parii^raplis,  rrniii 
an  aiiilM-nlii'  Ntau.-f,  in  ii"j;ard  to  that  nni  iikaln'i  prnplr,  Onr 
aiilliiMitv  is  .larsf- ■^  "  llist.ny  nl'  llir  lli\v  iiaii  or  Sandwirli 
Islands,"  ri'iiMitly  pnlilislii'd. 

"Tlu'  if«'ncral  cast  nl'  Ifaliiri'i*  prt-vailiiiK  aiiinnu  llic  wlmli'  yruiip 
wiiM  hiiiiiiar  to  tlialnrall  Pnlynt'si'i,  and  iiiiuIhuimin  !<>  tli     Malay,  In 


wliirli   I'aniilv  I  1    I'll"   tiniiiiii    ran-   tin  \    iIimi(i!|inh   Ulmiu 


U'li 


\ 


foil 


i:i8 


TriK    SOUTH    AMKKK  AN    INDIANS. 


sidcrililf  variily  in  color  fvislt-d,  from  a  liylit  xWw  to  nii  almost 
MVicaii  Itlack  ;  tlic  liair  \\,\s  coarse,  an<l  almost  c(|iially  (lissimiiar, 
» .ir)  iug  iVom  tlio  straight,  long,  t>lack,  or  dark  brown,  to  {\w  crispy 
curl  peculiar  to  ilic  negro.  This  latter  was  comparativi'ly  rnro. 
Wliite  liair  among  the  children  was  common.  A  hroad,  open, 
vulgarly  giMHl-humored  countenance  |irev'ailed  among  the  males, 
and  a  more  pleasinir  and  enga'/ing  lof)k  with  the  females.  Roth 
Itespokc  tile  predonunance  i.>l  gross  animal  passions.  Many  of  the 
latter,  wlien  young,  were  pretty  and  attractive.  'Ihoiigh  furtiier 
from  the  efpiator,  lintli  sexes  were  some  shades  darker  than  the 
'I'ahitians,  Manpiesaiis,  or  Vseeiision  i»land»'rs ;  all  of  whom  excel 
them  ill  personal  heaiily.  As  \  di  tiiem,  ii  fulness  of  the  iiovtril, 
without  the  peculiar  tlatiitss  of  the  negro,  and  a  general  thickness 
of  lips,  prominent  and  hroad  (heck  Iniucs,  and  narrow,  high,  and 
retreating  foreheads,  resembling  the  Asiatics,  predoininateil.  In- 
stances of  deformity  were  not  more  common  than  m  ci\  ili/ed  life. 
Their  teeth  were  while,  linn  ami  regular;  'iiit  their  eyes  were 
generallv  hhuHlsliot,  w  liicli  was  lousidered  a  personal  attraction 
'Iho  hands  of  the  women  wfre  soft,  well  made,  \\  dh  tapering 
fingers.  When  the  sex  arrived  at  uiaturily,  whicli  tfwik  place 
from  Icii  to  twelve  years  of  age,  they  presented  slight  niid  graceful 
figures  ;  « liich  a  f»  w  ye.irs  settled  into  rf/i/tonpoini,  and  a  d  \\  more 
iniMle  as  un.tllractive  as  they  W(>re  Im  lore  the  reverse." 

"  No  reifiilir  marriisu'e  ceremonies  existed  ;  though,  on  sucli  oc- 
caHions,  it  was  customary  tor  the  Itridc^riMiin  to  cast  a  piece  of  cloth 
on  the  briile  in  the  ju-esence  o|  her  family.  A  feast  was  then  fur- 
liisiied  li\  llie  friends  of  Uitli  parties.  '1  he  number  of  wives  de- 
|H'iided  ii|x>ii  the  inclinat'on  of  tlie  man,  and  his  ability  to  .Mijiport 
them  'f  lioiigh  the  common  men  usually  lived  » itii  one  woiiian, 
who  j>«'r("r(ried  IioumIioIiI  lalMirs,  no  binding  tie  existed;  each  party 
c/>nsultiiig  their  v«  isbes  for  a  ehange,  joining  or  se|mriiting,  hh  they 
a^r< ed  or  dt^igreed." 

"Home  doubt  lormerly  ixi»rf^<l,  ♦•'helher  caiinibalism   ever   pre- 


J 


AN   KSSAY   ON    TlIK   lllSTOUV    OF 


469 


vailwl  ill  tilt!  ^ntiip.  'I'lic  natives  tliciiiscivcs  inanitcstccl  u  (Icj^n'O 
of  nIiiuiio,  horror,  and  I'oiit'iisioii,  wlitii  ([lU'stiont-il  ii)ii)ii  the  siibjcfrt, 
tliat  led  CiKik  and  his  associates,  williout  any  din'i-t  evidence  of  thf 
fact,  to  l)eli(.'\o  in  its  existence;  but  lator  voyaj^ers  disputed  tliis 
conclusion.  I'he  confessions  of  their  own  historians,  and  the  ^rcne- 
ral  acknowledffrnent  of  the  coininoii  people,  have  now  estalilished  it 
lieyodd  a  doubt ;  thouji;h,  I'or  some  time  previous  to  CiHik's  visit,  it 
had  gradually  decreased,  until  scarcely  a  vestiije,  if  any,  of  the  hor- 
rii>le  custom  remained.  This  humaiii/in>r  improvement,  so  little  in 
accordance  with  their  other  customs,  was  a  pleasing  trait  in  their 
national  character.  It  may  have  resulted  iVom  instruction  and 
exaiiijile,  derived  from  their  earlieM  European  visitors,  or  a  self- 
conviction  of  its  own  alK)miiiatinn.  Jk-  that  as  it  may,  a  i)ulilii' 
se!>;iment  of  di.sgust  in  regard  to  it  prevailerl  at  that  period,  highly 
creditable  to  them  as  a  nati(<ii,  and  whi<-li  distinguished  them  from 
their  more  savage  contemporaries  of  New  Zealaml,  the  .Martpiesas, 
and  even  from  the  more  ])olis!ied  'I'ahitiaii  " 

" 'I'he  cleanliness  of  the  islandc's  h:<s  been  mueli  praised,  but 
without  rea.so!i.  Frequent  bathiiii.'  kept  their  persons  in  toleiatih- 
order;  but  the  same  filtliv  clotliing  was  worn  while  it  would  hold 
together.  The  liKlgiug  of  the  common  orders  was  shared  with  the 
brutes,  and  their  Ixxlies  a  coiiuuon  receptacle  of  vermin." 

"The  Hawaiian  character,  iiiiiiillueiiced  by  either  of  the  fore- 
going causes,"  (ci\ili/alioii  and  (  hnstiaiiiiv  )  "  iN.iy  '.m'  thus  sum- 
med up.  From  childh(M)d  no  iiatuial  alfections  were  inculcated 
Ivvistence  was  due  rather  to  arcuieiit  than  liesign.  Spared  by  a 
parent's  hand,  a  l)oy  lived  to  become  the  \  ictim  of  a  priest,  an  otl'er 
ing  to  a  bl(HMMoviiig  deil\ ,  or  U)  expenem  ;  a  living  dealh  from  pre- 
lernatural  ft'ars — a  slavt^  not  only  to  his  own  sujierstitioiis,  but  tn  tim 
terrors  and  caprices  of  his  cliief  I,ife,  limb,  or  property,  were  not 
his  to  know.  Ditter,  grimling  tyranny  was  his  lot.  No  mother's  hand 
soothed  the  pains  of  youth,  or  father's  guiiie<l  m  the  pursuits  of  nian- 
iiomi.    No  social  circle  warmed  the.  heart  by  its  kindly  affections.    No 


AN    KSSAY   ON   THK   HISIOIIV  OF 


461 


ill  1irin.s('X|in\ssiv<'  (ifrvcry  ^ll!l(l^•  nf  virc  iiiid  criiiu-,  it  was  deHtitutr 
ol'  lliDsc  calciilati'd  to  ciiiivcy  idfa.s  (if  viiliu-  or  ri'<'titudc." 

Kfvoltiii^  as  this  |iifHin'  may  apiu-ar,  it  is  i>ut  ii  softciicd  por- 
Irailurt!  Dftlii'  dis>,MiHtiii>,'  di'imivily  <jf  thi-so  iH'aiidors.  Tlic  details 
arc  s(i  slmrkiiig  as  to  lir  imllt  ("di-  |iiil)lii.!ilioii.  Vet  tliis  is  a  Iriio 
rc|trrsciil;tli(iii  (if  sava^ni  nature,  as  wo  find  it  fXiMiiitlilicd  in  all 
parts  iif  till-   world:    il   is  tlic   liuman   Iw  art  "dn-citfiil   iilxivi-  all 


tl 


mil's, 


am 


I    d 


I'siKr 


.ti-ly 


Wll 


krd, 


as 


dcscri  H'd    in    tin-    inspired 


volume,  and  as  ii  exists  every  where,  wlien  imtoiiehed  by  tho 
ainelioratiii;,' inllneiii'e  of  (lospel  truth.  It  is  modilied,  il  is  true, 
liy  eireumstaiiees.  Il  is  iMlliieiu-.-d  hy  the  climale,  itv  llie  aliuil- 
daiice  or  scareity  ol"  lood,  and  l)y  the  lial.it  ai.d  op|n)rtiiiiities  of 
eiiKa^fini,'  in  the  pursuits  of  war  and  rapine.  'I"!ii'  North  American 
Indian  is  of  a  colder  temperament  than  the  islander  ol  the  I'acilio 
Ocean.  Ilu  is  trained  to  war,  and  his  passions  are  disciplined  to 
ohedience.  Kvcry  (lemre  and  emotion  ol  his  iieart  is  Inou^dit  in 
subjection  tu  a  martial  police,  and  his  individuality  is  to  a  f,neat 
extent  nierp[ed  in  a  kind  of  military  (sprit  /In  cdijis,  which  takes  the 
place  ol  putriolism  IK  is  less  M'lisual  than  ihc  isiarder,  con.stitu- 
tioiially  ;  and  from  his  location  in  a  colder  climale,  is  less  giv*  n  to 
Hell-induluence,   in   consetpuiice  of  iiis   military  trainini^,  and   tl 


lU 


lalKirioiis   life  of  the   hunter 


and   IS  more   manly  in   Ins   heariii),', 


from  the  clfect  of  athletic  exercises  and  frecpient  exposure  to 
daiiujer.  But  after  these  allowances  are  niailc,  and  the  necessary 
dc<lnctions  drawn  from  th<  in,  we  shall  find  that  ihese  varieties  of 
!"io  savaye  charaetor,  however  Hiiporficially  dill'erenl,  are  the  saino 
in  structure,  and  in  every  elemental  |)arl  and  principle.  'J'lie 
islander  Imcamu  ii\  far  the  more  depraved  and  vicious  from  tlio 
encr\atiiiu;  iiillneiice  of  climate,  and  from  a  vaiiily  of  de;jrra(lini{ 
intlueiices  incident  to  his  |)osilion. 

\  et  tins  jH'opIc  have  l)ecome  civilized  so  rapidly,  that  ihe  sanio 
){en«>ration  huM  witneNsed  their  transit  Ihmm  liic  lni,i|  darkn(*ss  of 
pa>4iiiiiMni    to    the    elfiilm-nie  "l    (lospel    li^dit.      They    have   esta- 


AN    ESSAY    ON     IlIK    IIISI'dKV    OK 


4M 


HlidiiMirs  (lovftntiit'iit  has  o|)»'ii('il  wiilc  ilic  (Iikjp  (if  moral  and 
jiolitirnl  ailviiiii'ciiK'iil  ;  and  no  nmrc  I'lliiicnt  aids  to  tlic  cauMO 
rxisl  lliaii  Ills  Majtsty,  (i<iVfrnor  Kikuundua,  and  sonir  idiicl's  of 
ioswr  ilt'<frt'('.  Ill  ISIO,  to  lilt'  Niir|iriso  tif  the  foiiMtfiicrs,  who  pns 
(lii'tetl  the  (Mistoiiiarv  Iciiiciu'v  towards  rank,  \\w  iiiajcstv  of  the 
laws  was  fully  aHscrtcd  iit  ihu  haiijfintf  of  a  <lii(  f  of  hiijii  IiIockI  for 
till-  iiiitrdcr  of  his  wif«>.  Later  still,  >ti  Is  1 1,  the  Knulish  consul 
was  fini'd  hy  a  inunii'i|ial  court  for  riot<  ii  condiii't,  snIijIc  tin- jiidiio 
addrcssid  a  witlit'rin^  rihiiki-  to  hini,  as  the  rcprt  snitativo  of  an 
t'lili^htfiicd  nation,  for  wtlinir  axido  all  respect  for  his  ofli.  .r  ohii> 
meter,  and  appeuled  to  the  otliir  olVnial  >,'entl«!inen  present  for  their 
countenance  in  the  support  of  l'oo<|  ordt-r." 

•The  annual  a.>M'iiil'iajie«  of  llu- kip^,'  ami  council  ha\e  heen  held 
at  l.aliaina,  the  capital  ot  tin  kiiiu'iloni.  Mvery  siicci  (>dinir  one  hiw 
luanilested  an  iinprovenient  on  the  last  Legislative  forms  are  he^ 
eominir  iH'tter  iindersttKxl,  and  ni<KlilieationH  of  the  code  made  to 
unit  the  nocessities  of  the  times.  In  isf,*,  ji  treasury  system  waw 
adopted,  wliich,  in  its  infancy,  has  ((iven  a  credit  to  the  ijovorn- 
menl  it  n«'ver  hefore  possessed.  Instead  of  the  former  s<piaiiderinu 
uiethodH,  liy  which  moneys  were  entrusted  to  courtiers  or  dcjiiMid- 
eiits,  and  never  strictiv  ai-eounted  for,  they  are  de|>osited  in  a  regu- 
lar treasurv,  at  llic  head  of  which  is  Dr  (i  I'  .Iiidd,  a  man  tiiii- 
nently  ipialitled  to  ({ive  satisfaction  to  all  chisMes  Assist(>il  hy 
intellis;eiit  natives,  accounts  of  receipts  for  taxes,  port  char);'es,  and 
the  iiistoms,  for  which,  within  the  past  year,  a  sliulit  dutv  on  im- 
ports has  h*-eii  laid,  ;ire  kept,  and  I'rom  the  proceeds  the  expenses 
and  delits  of  the  ^overMnlellt  are  reijularly  paid.  Instead  of  livin;^ 
upon  their  teiiaiils,  tlw  ollicers  receive  staled  salaries  ;  hut  these 
and  other  chan^jes  are  loo  recent  to  Ik*  chronicled  as  history  ;  Ihev 
are  hut  lamlmarks  in  the  rajiid  improvement  of  the  nation  " 

"  l''roin  the  ureal  (pianlily  of  litpiors  iiitnxluced,  and  their  clieap- 
IH'^H,  it  Aas  (eared,  and  with  reason,  that  the  old  thirst  for  anient 
spirits  WDidd  he  awakened       Many  did  drink   to  excess,  and  men 


un 

THR  NORTH 

A 

an.l 

UOIIll'll 

rrt 

Iiii<r  lliroiigli 

tiK 

WilN 

ilii| 

)()HS 

l)l.- 

to  I'xcliulo  \\ 

If  1 

to  tl 

uir 

iisr 

llii'iiisclvos,  (|fl« 

nil 

lll« 

lli»^ 

ll'IIUIIK 

1.     Th«  iiiiliv 

cs 

iirdi'iil  s 
lion  iiiii 

|iiri 
1  ii.l 

Ir.' 

tt'lll|KT!llll'«'  SOci 

>isi's  ilii>  I'litliiisi 

MEUK  \N   INDIANS. 

s  HtrmAii  wuro  cominoii  Hij^lits.  As  it 
riii|itatioii,  tlio  rliiols,  tlioii^li  piirtial 
iiu'd  to  ii'slricl  tin-  sain  liy  prfvcnt- 
wciti  |)ro]iiliitc(l  iVoiii  inuiKit'actiiriii^ 
iftifs  wiM'c  rorini'il ;  ami  liy  coiiiliiiia- 
iaHiii  of  tliii  nation  onkindli'il ;  tlioii- 
Kanils,  {tarticnlarly  of  tlio  yoiin<r,  joiiii-il  tlinii,  aiul  finally  tin*  kinjjr, 
setting  an  t-xainph)  wiiifli  wus  followiMl  liy  most  of  tlir  cliirfN, 
|il(Ml>»i'(i  liinist'lflo  total  alisliiiciii'*'." 

"  In  rl■ll^ious  lvllo\\l^(i^l■  tlio  pro^rcNS  of  the  nation  lias  lici-n 
rt'spcctablo.  In  I'^ll,  there  wore  sixltM-n  llioiisaiul  oiijilit  liniKlrcd 
and  niiifty-tlircc  iiiciiilH.-rs  of  tlit>  Protestant  rliiirclies,  and  this 
niiiiilH'r  was  inrreasin^.  rpwards  of  ri)r|itt>oii  tlioiiHiind  cliildrcu 
art'  rftfiviiii;  instniclion  in  tin-  ncliools,  most  of  wliirli,  liowtivcr, 


ciiiliracc  siiii|ily  tin;  t'lcnifiitary  liranclits ;  Itiise  art;  so  generally 
diiriisi'd,  tliat  it  is  nncoininoii  to  find  a  nativi!  wlio  cannot  read  or 
write,  and  wlio  dneM  not  posseMM  sonie  knowledge  of  aritlinietic  and 
^eo^rra|iliy.  In  tlio  Ili^li  Si-IkkiI,  and  some  of  the  hoarding  NehcMilM, 
a  iiineli  more  exleiiiled  vdiieation  prevails,  siiiricient  to  qualify  the 
pupils  for  liecoiiiiii^  teachers,  or  eventually  filling  more  responsilile 
professions.  It  is  a  strikiie^r  laC,  that  of  all  tlu'  hiisiness  dociiineiits 
in  |)os.44'H>tioii  i>f  the  Hawaiian  (ioveriimeiit,  acciimiiiated  in  their 
intereonrs4'  with  foreigners,  itm-hiilf  lu'ar  the  nmrh  of  the  latter 
ere  unable  to  writ«-;  while  there  is   hut  tnn    inslance  <if  so 


WHO  w 


deplonilile  ignorance  on  the  p;irt  of  tin*  natives,  and  that  \(as  Kai- 
koewn,  late  (!ov<'riiorof  Kauai.  wIio.m-  aife  and  infirinilics  were  a 
hiillicieiit  a|M)loi,'y  for  his  iietfject.  If  a  JM'lict  that  the  Hdile  eon- 
tains  the  revealed  will  of  (JimI,  the  sacred  ohservanci'  of  the  Sah- 
Imth.  the  eroet'oii  of  chureheN,  the  difrnsion  of  education,  ^[ratnitniiH 
eonlnlnitions  of  money  for  charitahli!  purposes  to  a  larjje  amount 
aiiniiallv.  a  general  attendance  on  divine  worship,  and  interest  in 
reli^'ions  liistniction,  and  a  standard  of  iiiiumIiIv  rapidly  improviiiir, 
coithlitiites  a  Clirisliaii  nation,  the  llawaiiaiis  of  l^Vi  may  safely 


AN    KSSAY   (IN    Tl 


cliiiiii  tliat  ilistiMi'tioii. 


H 


i'MltiV  t(l 


IH   msiOHY    OF 

III:. 

ii|i|irfi'iat('  tilt'  cliiin^'c,  tin 

•ir  ori- 

V    kllDWI!." 

Iii-iithfiiisiii   liiiil  \N 

axrd 

hoary 

K'ttcr  lliaii   iiiiscrulilt 

liun 

Ics  of 

n\  wnlliiiij,'  iiiiilcr  . 

I  (Irsj 

xitisin 

ii'liiiis  Id  till!  niisatii 
II.      1     I.I. 

tlilt!  avaricu 
11 

^niial  rliaractiT  slioiiM  lir  acrniatrli 
"At  tlicir  nvdiM'ovfiT  byCddk, 
ill  iiiiijiiity  and  vilnittHs.  Liltlt;  U 
Kavair(>s,  living'  in  |u<r|iftiial  warfai 
strained  to  its  iitimist  tcnsinn,  and  v 

III'  a  hliHMly-iiiindi'd  luitstcraft,  tiny  had  rrailird  that  iicricMJ  win 
ilcrlinf  III'  nviiliition  must  havr  I'lisutil.  \\\  the  adventitious  aidH 
o|  roiiiiiiei'ee,  the  asjiirin^  Kainehaiiiela  ell'eeted  the  latter;  I>1o(h1 
was  freely  spilt ;  hut,  under  his  universal  rule,  the  horde  of  j)riestly 
and  feudal  tyrant«  were  iiierj(»;d  into  oui — himself — whose  justice 
and  Itenevolenee,  imperfeit  as  tlniy  were  \s  licii  xiewed  in  the  liLjht 
of  imreased  wisdom,  are  allowed,  by  the  eoinuireiil  lestLiiony  r'i 
llawaiians  and  foreiuners,  to  have  formed  a  new  era  in  their  his- 
tory. Durini;  his  rei<rn  i'i\  ili/ation  had  full  seope  for  its  eU'eet 
upon  harhariMii ;  tro<Ml  men  advised,  moral  men  wv|-e  examples; 
and  the  result  was  in  aeeordanee  with  the  stren;,iii  of  the  priutipl)! 
hroujL^ht  to  hear  upon  them.  'I'he  llawaiians  heeami!  a  nation  of 
skilful  traders,  ilealini;  with  an   honesty  ipiite  eipial  to  that  whieh 


tl 


ley    received  ;    mertantile    euniiiiiif   ; ;..  t .  eded    lormer  a\ari('ious 


violeiiee;    j«;oimI    faith    became  a   |iriiiciple  of   interest;    sceptici 


weakened 


l)i<rot 


rv 


'I'll 


is  was  all  th"  spirit  of  ^n\ii,  in   it 


S     CIV 


sm 


ili/.ed 


nmtuiue,  con 


Id 


III 


complish  ;    it    had 


liettd 


.sava<'i',  inasir.ich  as  it  was  i 


tself 


superior 


re<l 
to  h 


tl 


le  conilitKHi   o 


f  tl 


them   to  the   lieio;lit    upon    which    it    was   it.« 
I'isKah,  from  which  ^lim|ises  of  the  luomisei 


li 


y    inoculating;   their   minds    with    tiie   desire 


better  tliin<rs,  it  became  the  instrument  of  the 
of  liberty,  and  the  first  step  toward  mental  a>< 
proirress  could  onlv  be  i;ained  b.  the  acti\( 
Divine  command,  '  tiu  ye  and  leach  all  nations 
by  that  people  who  have  U'en   most  iilive  to  it 

U»;res.     The  strii|,%des  and  lalMUs  of  twenty -out 

6'J 


■lite    lust. 

h  carried 

f    poised. 

a    inoileni 

land  couli 

b{'  seen. 

though 

•rude,    lor 

•  risiii"  of 

the  spirit 

wH'iuleni'y. 

Kiirthrr 

•   reco^'iiitioii  of  the 

.'     'This  w 

as  obi'\  ed 

ts  idinmeri 

•iiil  advan- 

!  years  of  missionary 

466 


Tin:  Noirni  amkiucan  Indians. 


cMrtioiiH,  mill  tlit'ir  ^'tMioriil  rfsiilts  ii|i(iii  the  |Militii-;i|  iiml  rrli^ioiis 
(.■hanu'tcr  oi  tint  iiiitioii,  liavi-  Immii  ili'iiiritd.  Diiriii^^  lliiit  tiiix; 
ii|i\Min1s  of  \\\r  liiinilii'il  tliiMisiiiiil  (Inlhii'N  lia\t'  Ihtii  ilrvotoil  Ity 
till' '  Aiiitriiati  Hnanl  nl  l''iurii{ii  Missions'  lor  lliis  |iiir|iiis(' ;  iiniic 
lliaii  r<ii'tv  t'aiiiilirs  of  iiiissioiiarics  iiiiiilovcil  llii°iiiiu;|iiiiit  tin-  ^r<Mi|t; 
tlio  advaiila^rs  of  SM-ll-it'^iilati'ii  iloiiirstii-  liri'liK  |irat'tirallv  nIkiwii; 
line  liiiiiiliril  niilliiiiis  nf  |tau;rs  |iriiili'il  am!  ilislriiiiitnl,  aiiKiiiir 
wliirli  worn  Iwo  fxti'iisivi'  nlilimis  uf  (lii>  Hililr,  iiikI  traiislatiniiM 
ami  riiiii|iilatiiiiis  of  vahialili'  srlinol  ami  srii'iitilir  InmiKs.  TIh' 
iiiiilli|ili(itv  III'  nliuioiis  wurks  liavi!  Imtu  vaiird  liy  utlurs  uf  liis- 
titrii'al  ami  L;i'iu'i°al  iiitfi'rsl  ;  iii'Nvs|ia|M'rs  |ii'iiitril;  in  liiii',  tlir 
niiliiiirnts  III'  a  native  liti  ratiiir  t'-rnir<l,  wliiili   liiils  lair  In   iiirri 


llir  iiHTrasiiiif  w 


ants  of  till'  nation.     Srvrial   islaiulrrs  liavc  iiiaiii- 


li'sli'il  <iriHMl  piiwi'rK  of  coiiiposilion,  and,  IniIIi  hy  llicir  wrilim^.s  and 
disroiirsis,  have  Imtii  of  t'iniiirnt  advaiitam-  to  tlirir  i-mintrs  iiirii. 
Nritlicr  have  tlir  im-rliaiiiral  arts  Inch  iu  ifltitcd  hy  thtir  iii- 
stnntors.  I 'mirr  thtir  tuition  the  lalnirs  of  the  needle  have  Im-cii 
made  iiniMisal.  Weaviiii;,  s|)iiiniiiL',  and  kiiittiiiir  lia\e  Item 
iiilriKlured.  \N  ilh  the  saiiie  illiU'rality  \\  hieh  eharaeteri/ed  somr 
uf  the  earliest  whitt!  settlers,  who  refused  l<>  ioslriiet  the  iialnes  for 
fear  thev  would  soon  ' ':iiow  too  niinh,'  a  imiiilter  of  the  iiierhaniis 
of  the   present  day  assoi  laled   thenisclves  to   prevent    aiiv  of  their 


trade   from  workini,'   witli,  or  i!:i\iiii,'   iiistrin'lioii   to   natives. 


hill 


their  merliaiiieal  skill  was  mil  thus  to  he  ri'prr>sed  ;  with  ihe 
assistame  of  the  missionaries,  nniiiherK  liaxe  heiuine  rndilahle 
workmen  ;  aimu'i,'  them  are  lo  he  found  ).ro<Ml  masoiiH,  earpenlers, 
priiilers,  iMiokliimlers,  tailors,  hlaiksmilhs,  shoemakers,  painters, 
and  other  artisans.  Their  skill  in  eojiper  eii^rasin^f  is  remarkahle. 
'I'hev  are  apt  domestics,  e.xpert  and  i^iKxl-int tired  Heanieii  hard 
workers  as  lahonrs  and  in  all  the  deparliiieiits  of  menial  sirsiee 
failhfiil  in  proportion  to  their  kmiwled'jr  ami  recompense." 

"  It  is  no  injustice  to  the  fnreiun  traders  to  utlrihiite  this  y^eiieral 
prosperity  mainly  to  missionary  ell'oils.     Hy  tlicin  the  islands  havu 


AN    KSSAV   ON    I  in:    IIISTOllV   OF 


467 


Id'cii  tiiiiilr  ilrsiraldc  rrsidfiiccs  (or  ii  iHiIrr  uiiil  iiion'  rcfiiifd  «'|iinm 
III  \\  liiti'N  ;  tlii'sr  liiiM'  lirrii  iiislniini'iils  (if  iiiiu'li  uinhI,  and  cvt'ii  of 
ciimilciactill^f  llic  soliii'wliat  tin  riyid  ami  cmIiimxc  tilldrliriis  (if 
tlir  iiiis>ioii.  Milt  iIm-v  can:"  I'lu-  iinnniaiy  ^aiii.  and  tlic  u<>'xl 
n'snltin^  iVoni  tlicir  inlncourso  was  incidental.     'I'lic  wlmlc  nndi- 


lUMiorain'c  ni  wiin 


vidcil  connscis  and  cxntions  o|  the  nnssion  \\:\\v  In'cii  applinl  to 
till*  Nprcail  of  ( 'liri>li;niitv  ami  civdi/.itiun.  ilmv  far  tlhv  liavt< 
JMcn  .succcsNlnl,  Itl  the  result  answer  " 

'The  (|iiestiiin,  so  iinportant  to  liiinianity,  and  so  lon^^  (Mnisidered 
donlittid.  as  to  the  |iraeiie:d)ilitv  of  civili/.itii;  the  variouH  triln'H  of 
Havai^cH  scattered  over  the  laee  of  the  earth,  nia\  mi\s  lie  considered 
UN  Nfttled  The  ex|ierinienl  at  tlit^  Sandvnch  IslandH  wuh  cum- 
iiicneed  under  the  most  uid°a\oralile  auspices.  Human  nuturo  litul 
reaclied  there  its  lowest  pomt  of  detrradatinn.  'I'hc  darkness  of 
h  they  were  pluniied  was  complete — not  a  ray  '<f 
linht  illumined  it.  They  hail  all  the  \ices  of  sa\ ayes,  and  nmtc 
destitute  of  that  manliness  of  character  which  sornctimeH  jrivcs 
di<j;nitv  'o  the  liarharian  state.  They  were  inferior  to  the  North 
.\ineri(an  Indian  in  conra>;e,  in  self-command,  in  discipline,  and 
in  deceni'v  of  deportment,  and  far  interior  in  Ixxlily  activity.  \'et 
from  the  first  regular  and  sustiiined  elVort  to  intriKlnce  civili/.ation, 
that  nolile  eiiterpri.scr  has  y;one  forward  vsilh  scarcely  any  iiiler- 
ruplioii;  ami  thev  are  muv  a  civilized  people,  having  a  written 
coiislitution,  a  lobular  government,  a  settleil  commerce,  laws, 
maLristrates,  schools,  churches,  a  written  |;uiL(uay;e,  and  t'le  (iospel 
of  salvation. 

'i'o  pHMluce  an  ell'ect  eipially  liafipy  upon  our  own  Indians  only 
reipiires  the  same  i;iu.'r);y  of  eUnrt  direclid  hy  the  .same  sini^leiiess 
»os»'.      Whenever  the  ci\ili/.ation  of  our   Indians  shall   Ih' 


of  pur| 

undertrikeii  hy  the  (loverninent,  with  an  eye  siiij^le  to  that  oliject, 

li  a  facility  which  will  astonish  even 
those  wlio  are  neither  nnfrieii-ly  to  such  ti  result,  nor  incredulous 
us  to  its  actual  I'onsum 'i^'cii      \N  e  ilesiro  to  bo  fully  understooii 


it  will    iH!   accomplish(-d 


^> 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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A 


1.0 


I.I 


111 


■so 


It    110 


2.0 


1.8 


1.25      1.4    III  1.6 

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► 

^^ 


* 


^,. 


.%'' 


'^>  ^ 


/j^ 


/A 


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o 


7 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


S: 


S^ 


A 


4 


\ 


.V 


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q\ 


23  WfST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14510 

(716)  87J-4S03 


o 


\ 


468 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


in  this  proposition.  We  have  in  another  place  spoken  of  our 
Government  and  people  as  decidedly  friendly  to  this  humane 
object ;  they  have  expended  millions  of  treasure  with  this  avowed 
purpose.  But  this  has  been  done  without  system,  and  much  of  the 
munificence  of  the  Government  has  been  wasted  by  careless  appli- 
cation, intercepted  by  fraud,  or  misdirected  by  knavish  hypocrisy. 
The  civilization  of  the  Indians  has  been  a  secondary  object,  lost 
sight  of  in  the  multiplicity  of  other  concerns,  and  has  never 
engaged  the  share  of  attention  demanded  by  its  importance  and 
solemnity.  Whenever  it  shall  be  attempted  with  earnestness,  in 
good  faith,  under  the  immediate  sanction  of  the  Government,  and 
under  the  influence  of  a  public  sentiznent  fully  awakened  to  the 
subject,  it  must  succeed. 


mr 
ine 
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PART   FOURTH. 


Can  the  North  American  Indians  be  civilized  ?  Are  their  minds 
open  to  the  same  moral  influences  which  affect  the  human  family 
in  common,  or  are  they  the  subjects  of  any  constitutional  pecu 
liarity,  which  opposes  a  permanent  barrier  to  an  improvement  of 
their  condition?  Perhaps  the  shortest  reply  to  these  questions 
would  be  found  by  asking  another — Is  the  Bible  true?  Are  all 
men  descended  from  Adam  and  Eve  ?  If  we  believe  that  there  is 
but  one  human  family,  the  conclusion  is  inevitable,  that  however, 
by  a  long  process  of  degeneration  the  race  may  have  become  divided 
into  varieties,  that  operation  may  be  reversed  through  the  agency 
of  the  same  natural  causes  which  produced  it.  We  cannot  enter- 
tain the  doctrine  of  multiform  creations,  or  with  any  show  of  reason 
admit  the  existence  of  separate  races,  miraculously  established  after 
the  flood,  by  the  same  power  which  brought  about  the  confusion 
of  tongues,  and  the  dispersion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.  But 
if  we  did,  it  would  bring  us  back  to  the  same  point ;  we  should  still 
acknowledge  a  common  ancestry,  and  claim  for  every  branch  of  the 
human  family  a  common  destiny.  The  promises  were  given  to  all ; 
no  exception  is  made  in  the  ofiicrs  of  salvation.  If  it  be  admitted 
that  men  were  divided  into  races,  and  certain  distinctions  of  color 
and  physical  structure  established,  to  separate  them  permanently, 
still  they  are  all  the  intelligent  creatures  of  God ;  the  subjects  of 
his  moral  government,  and  the  objects  of  a  great  system  of  rewards 
and  punishments,  which  he  has  vouchsafed  to  reveal,  without  de- 
barring any  from  its  benefits,  or  absolving  any  from  its  obligations 

(469) 


470 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


We  cannot,  consistently  with  these  views,  give  iij)  any  portion  of 
the  human  nice  to  hopeless  and  everlastinif  harbarism. 

In  a  former  part  of  this  work  we  alluded  to  the  rapid  progress 
in  civilization,  made  by  the  natives  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  as 
aftbrding  ample  testimony  on  this  subject;  and  we  shall  now  at- 
tempt .J  corroborate  those  views,  by  reference  to  what  has  been 
done  towards  reclaiming  the  Indians  of  our  own  continent. 

In  summing  up  this  evidence,  we  beg  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind, 
the  proofs  we  adduced  in  the  former  parts  of  this  essay,  of  the  ori- 
ginally favorable  disposition  of  the  savages  towards  the  whites,  as 
evinced  by  their  kind  reception  of  the  first  colonists.  In  the  settle- 
ment of  Pennsylvania,  for  instance,  the  most  amicable  intercourse 
was  maintained  between  the  stranger  races,  for  a  scries  of  years, 
and  a  mutual  kindness,  respect,  and  confidence  towards  each  other 
was  established.  This  experiment  must  be  satisfactory,  as  far  as  it 
goes,  to  the  most  incredulous ;  to  our  own  mind  it  is  conclusive :  for 
we  consider  the  question  to  be,  not  whether  the  Indian  intellect  is  en- 
dowed with  the  capacity  to  receive  civilization,  but  whether  his 
savao-c  nature  can  be  so  far  concihated,  as  to  make  him  a  fair  sub- 
ject  of  the  benevolent  effort.  The  question  is  not  as  to  the  possi- 
bility of  eradicating  his  ferocity,  or  giving  steadiness  to  his  erratic 
habits,  but  as  to  the  practicability  of  bringing  to  bear  upon  him, 
the  influences  by  which  his  evil  propensities  and  his  waywardness 
must  be  subdued.  The  wild  ass  may  be  tamed  into  the  most  docile 
of  the  servants  of  man ;  the  difficulty  is  in  catching  him — in  placing 
him  under  the  i  ifluence  of  the  process  of  training.  Whenever  the 
bridle  is  placed  upon  his  head,  the  work  is  done;  all  the  rest  fol- 
lows with  the  certainty  of  cause  and  effect — in  the  contest  between 
the  man  and  the  brute,  between  intellect  and  instinct,  the  latter 
must  submit.  So  it  is  between  the  civilized  and  savage  man.  The 
difficulties  to  be  overcome,  arc  the  distance  by  which  the  races  are 
separated,  and  the  repidsion  which  impedes  their  approach.  There 
is  no  sympathy  between  the  refinement  of  the  civilized  man  and 


THE  NORTH  AiMERICAN  INDIANS. 


471 


the  habits  of  the  savage;  nor  any  neutral  ground  upon  which  they 
can  meet  and  compromise  away  their  points  of  difference.  They 
are  so  widely  separated  in  the  scale  of  being,  as  to  have  no  common 
tastes,  habits,  or  opinions;  they  meet  in  jealousy  and  distrust;  dis- 
gu.st  and  contempt  attend  all  their  intercourse ;  and  the  result  of 
their  contact  is  mission  and  war.     And  why?     The  repulsive 

principle  is  never  overcome,  the  attraction  of  sympathy  is  never 
established.  The  parties  do  not  gaze  upon  each  other  patiently, 
long  enough  to  become  reconciled  to  their  mutual  peculiarities,  nor 
sit  together  in  peace  until  they  become  acquainted.  The  habit  of 
enduring  each  other's  manners  is  not  established,  nor  the  good  fel- 
lowship which  results  from  pacific  intercour.se,  even  between  those 
who  are  widely  separated  by  character  and  station. 

We  have  said  that  the  first  European  visitors  were  kindly  re- 
ceived. They  were  so :  but  ii  ^as  not  from  any  thing  attractive  in 
their  appearance,  or  from  any  love  or  sympathy  impelling  the  poor 
savage  to  the  practice  of  hospitality.  Fear  and  wonder  quelled  the 
ferocity  of  the  Indian,  and  curiosity  impelled  him  to  seek  the  pre- 
sence of  these  singular  beings,  who  came  mysteriously  to  his 
shores,  in  human  shape,  but  wielding  apparently  the  powers  of  tlie 
invisible  world.  It  was  the  white  man  who  dispelled  an  illusion  so 
advantageous  to  himself,  by  the  exhibition  of  meanne.ss,  weakness, 
and  vice,  which  demonstrated  his  human  nature  so  clearly,  that 
even  the  ignorant  savage  could  not  mistake. 

From  the  general  misconduct  of  the  whites,  there  were  some  no- 
ble exceptions,  and  from  these  we  select  the  settlement  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, as  the  most  prominent.  The  Quakers  were  sincere  in  their 
religious  professions.  They  did  not  make  religion  the  cloak  of  a 
rapacious  spirit  of  aggrandizement,  nor  murder  the  savage  in  the 
name  of  a  Creator  wht  commands  love,  and  peace,  and  forgiveness. 
They  met  the  savage  o.i  terms  of  equality,  overlooking  the  vast 
disparity  of  intellect  and  education,  and  breaking  down  all  the  bar- 
riers of  separation.     The  first  step  was  decisive ;  there  was  no 


472 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


room  for  tlistrust;  no  time  for  prejudice  to  rankle,  and  ripen  into 
hatred.  The  Indian  tlirew  aside  his  fears  and  his  wonder,  and  met 
the  Quaker  as  a  brother.  They  dwelt  together  in  unity ;  for  more 
than  half  a  century  they  lived  in  peace,  in  the  daily  interchange  of 
kindness  and  benefits.  The  e.xperiment  was  successful ;  because, 
whenever  the  civilized  and  savage  man  can  be  brought  into  amica- 
ble and  protracted  intercourse,  the  latter  must  unavoidably  and  im- 
perceptibly acquire  the  arts  and  habits  of  the  former. 

The  history  of  the  Praying  Indians  of  New  England  is  fraught 
with  instruction  on  the  subject  of  this  essay,  and  forms  a  pathetic 
episode  in  the  history  of  this  peo])lc.  Although  the  conversion  of 
the  heathen  is  alleged  in  nearly  all  the  royal  charters  and  patents, 
as  one  of  the  pretences  for  taking  possession  of  newly  discovered 
countries,  and  for  granting  them  to  individuals  and  companies,  it 
does  not  seem  to  have  occupied  much  of  the  attention  of  the  first 
colonists.  The  name  of  John  Eliot  is  justly  entitled  to  honor,  as 
that  of  the  pioneer  of  this  noble  enterprise;  for,  previous  to  his 
day,  we  do  not  find  that  any  sy.stematic  effort  was  made  to  com- 
municate the  Gospel  to  the  Indians  of  New  England.  Resolving 
to  devote  himself  to  their  service,  he  first  proceeded  to  qualify  him- 
self for  the  office  of  teacher,  by  learning  the  language  of  the  Nip- 
mucks,  and  he  was  probably  the  first  Avhitc  man  who  studied  the 
language  of  the  Indians  for  their  advantage.  He  is  said  to  have 
effected  this  in  a  few  months,  by  liiring  an  Indian  to  reside  in  his 
family.  His  first  meeting  with  the  natives  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
versing with  them,  in  their  own  language,  on  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion, was  on  the  28th  of  October,  1646,  which  was  twenty-six 
years  after  the  landing  at  Plymouth.  In  this  and  subsequent  con- 
ferences he  endeavored  to  explain  to  them  the  leading  points  in 
the  history  and  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  was  met  with  all  those 
popular  and  obvious  objections  which  are  used  by  the  ignoi-ant,  or 
those  who  are  but  superficially  acquainted  with  the  sacred  volume. 
The  chiefs  and  conjurers,  also,  opposed  the  introduction  of  the  new 


THE   NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


47.3 


religion ;  for  wherever  government  and  religion  are  controlled  by 
the  same  persons,  or  b}^  persons  who  act  in  concert,  all  reform  is 
objected  to,  as  subversive  of  ancient  usages,  and  dangerous  to  the 
ruling  powers.  The  mo.st  enlightened  aristocrat,  and  the  most 
ignorant  savage  chief,  are  equally  alive  to  an  instinctive  dread  of 
change,  and  especially  of  changes  which  appeal  to  the  reflective 
faculties  of  tlie  people,  and  lead  them  to  independent  thought  and 
action,  instead  of  the  more  convenient  plan  for  the  ruler,  of  being 
wielded  in  masses  like  machines.  Notwithstanding  this  opposition, 
a  number  of  the  Indians  became  attached  to  Mr.  Eliot,  and  placed 
themselves  luider  his  teaching,  while  a  still  larger  number  were 
willing  to  intrust  their  children  to  be  instructed  by  him. 

Eliot  became  sensible  of  the  necessity  of  separating  his  converts 
from  the  rest  of  their  people,  as  well  to  shield  them  from  the  bad 
influence  of  the  unconverted,  as  to  train  them  in  the  arts  and  habits 
of  civilization.  It  was  an  axiom  with  liim,  that  cioilization  was  an 
indispensable  auxiliary  to  the  conversion  of  the  savage.  Proceed- 
ing upon  this  principle,  he  collected  his  proselytes  in  towns,  in- 
structed them  in  rural  and  mechanical  labors,  and  gave  them 
a  brief  code  of  laws  for  their  government.  Some  of  these  laws 
afford  curious  evidence  of  the  simplicity  of  the  times;  for  instance  : 
"  If  any  man  be  idle  a  week,  or  at  most  a  fortnight,  he  shall  pay 
five  shillings."  "  If  any  man  shall  beat  his  wife,  his  hands  shall 
be  tied  behind  him,  and  he  shall  be  carried  to  the  place  of  justice 
to  be  severely  punished."  "  Every  young  man,  if  not  another's 
servant,  and  if  unmarried,  shall  be  compelled  to  set  up  a  wigwam, 
and  plant  for  himself,  and  not  shift  up  and  down  in  otiier  wig- 
wams." "  If  any  woman  shall  not  have  her  hair  tied  up,  but  hung 
loose,  or  be  cut  as  men's  hair,  she  shall  pay  five  shillings."  "  All 
men  that  wear  long  locks  shall  pay  five  shillings." 

The  whole  of  the  Bible  was  translated  into  the  Indian  tongue,  by 
Eliot,  and  also  Baxter's  "  Call,"  Shepherd's  "  Sincere  Convert,"  and 

60 


474 


AN   i:S.SAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


"Sound  Believer,"  besides  a  vuriety  of  other  books,  such  as  gram- 
mnr,  ps;ilters,  catechisms,  &,c. 

Cotton  Mather  remarks  of  Eliot's  Indian  Bible:  "This  Bible 
was  printed  here  at  our  Caml)ridgc ;  and  it  is  the  only  Bible  that 
was  ever  jirintod  in  all  America,  from  the  very  foundation  of  the 
world."  The  same  autlior  tells  us,  "  1'iie  whole  translation  was 
writ  with  but  one  pen,  which  pen,  had  if  not  been  lost,  would  have 
certainly  deserved  a  richer  case  th:ui  was  bestowed  upon  that  pen 
with  which  Holland  writ  his  translation  of  Plutarch." 

That  worthy  and  quaint  compiler,  Drake,  from  whose  Book  of 
the  Indians  we  have  taken  this  and  some  other  valuable  items, 
appends  in  a  note  the  following  lines,  which  Philemon  Holland, 
"the  translator  general  of  his  age,"  made  upon  his  pen  : 

"  With  one  sole  pen  I  write  this  book, 
Made  of  a  t,'ray  goose  quill ; 
A  pen  it  was,  when  I  it  took, 
And  a  pen  I  leave  it  still." 

The  towns  established  under  the  auspices  of  the  Missionary  Elijt, 
are  said  to  have  been  fourteen  in  number,  and  the  aggregate  popu- 
lation is  stated  to  have  been  eleven  hundred  and  fifty ;  but  as  this 
enumeration  includes  whole  families,  the  number  of  converts  must 
have  been  much  less.  At  the  close  of  Philip's  war,  1677,  the  num- 
ber of  towns,  according  to  Gookin's  account,  was  reduced  to  seven, 
but  when  an  attempt  was  made  during  the  war,  to  collect  the  Pray- 
ing Indians  in  one  place  for  safety,  but  about  five  hundred  could  bo 
found,  and  this  number  was  reduced  to  three  hundred  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  Six  years  after  that  war,  there  were  but  four  towns, 
and  the  number  of  inhabitants  are  not  stated. 

It  is  difficult  to  ascertain  with  precision  the  results  of  the  early 
efforts,  on  the  part  of  the  English  colonists  generally,  to  convert 
the  Indians,  because  the  accounts  of  these  transactions  are  not  only 
incomplete,  but  greatly  perverted  by  prejudice  and  exaggeration. 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


475 


There  were  among  the  early  Puritans  many  excelUmt  men  who 
fervently  desired  the  conversioii  of  this  branch  of  the  human 
family,  and  labored  zealously  in  the  cause,  and  we  have  good 
reason  to  believe,  in  regard  to  some  of  them  at  least,  that  their 
zeal  was  according  to  knowledge.  But  we  have  their  own  testi- 
mony, that  the  sympathies  of  the  public  were  not  with  them  in 
this  good  work,  and  that  the  dislike  of  the  whites  towards  their  red 
neighbors  interposed  a  barrier  which  thwarted  the  l^^l  exertions 
for  the  civilization  of  the  latter.  We  have  before  us  the  "  Histori- 
cal Account  of  the  Doings  and  Sufferings  of  the  Christian  Indians 
in  New  England,  in  the  years  1G75,  1676,  and  1677,  impartially 
drawn  by  one  well  acquainted  with  that  affair,  and  presented  unto 
the  Right  Honorable  the  Corporation,  residing  in  London,  and 
appointed  by  the  King's  Most  Excellent  Majesty,  for  Promoting 
the  Gospel  among  the  Indians  in  America."  The  author  was 
"  Master  Daniel  Gookin,"  of  whom  Cotton  Mather  wrote  : 

"  A  constellation  of  great  converts  there 
Shone  round  him,  and  his  heavenly  glory  were. 
Gookins  'vas  one  of  these." 


He  was  superintendent  of  the  Indians,  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Massachusetts,  during  many  years ;  was  a  man  of  high  standing, 
distinguished  for  his  humanity,  his  courage,  and  his  fidelity  to  the 
cause  of  the  Indian.  The  publishing  committee  of  the  American 
Antiquarian  Society,  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  in  a  prelimi- 
nary notice  of  this  work,  say  : 

"  The  policy  adopted  by  Gookin  towards  the  Indians  did  not  at 
all  times  escape  the  censure  of  the  public ;  for  during  the  troubles 
that  arose  from  the  aggressions  of  the  hostile  tribes,  the  people 
could  with  difficulty  be  restrained  from  involving  in  one  common 
destruction  the  whole  race ;  and  while  it  required  the  most  deter- 
mined spirit,  on  the  part  of  the  superintendent,  to  stem  the  torrent 
of  popular  violence,  he  did  not  fail  to  draw  on  himself  undeserved 


476 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY  OF 


ojliiim  and  rcpronch  Gookin  was  Pininontly  the  friend  of  the 
Indians,  and  never  hesitated  to  interpose  his  own  safety  between 
the  infuriated  white  man  and  the  nnolTunding  object  of  his  Tcn- 
geance." 

Tlie  iniincdiate  [jiirpose  of  Master  Daniel  Gookin  is  to  describe 
the  sulTerings  of  the  Praying  Indians,  in  the  war  between  the 
wiiites  and  Indians,  (hiring  the  period  covered  by  his  narrative. 
The  Christian  Indians,  liaving  notliing  to  expect  from  the  savage 
tribes  of  their  own  race,  wiio  despised  and  hated  tliem,  for  their 
adhesion  to  the  faith  of  the  white  men,  were  soHcitovis  to  be  received 
as  alHes  of  the  colonists;  and  as  tlieir  towns  lay  along  the  frontier, 
contiguous  to  the  white  settlements,  their  friendship  would  have 
been  valuable  had  it  been  cultivated  in  good  faith,  as  the  towns  of 
the  friendly  Indians  wobld  have  covered  the  most  exposed  settle- 
ments from  the  inroads  of  the  savages.  The  protection  would  have 
been  mutual,  and  the  comnnuiity  of  danger,  and  military  service, 
Avould  have  strengthened  the  bunds  of  friendshiji,  while  the  con- 
verted Indians  would  have  been  confirmed  in  their  new  fiiith,  and 
the  prejudices  oi"  both  parties  softened  by  an  intercourse  so  bene- 
ficial to  each.  The  public  manifestation  on  the  part  of  the  colo- 
nists, of  a  disposition  to  adopt  and  protect  the  converted  heathen, 
connected  with  the  evidence  of  power  to  render  that  protection 
effectual,  must  have  produced  a  salutary  effect  upon  the  savage 
mind.  The  policy  pursued  was  unfortunately  the  very  reverse  of 
that  dictated  by  sound  prudence  and  Christian  charity.  No  sooner 
were  hostilities  commenced  than  the  friendly  Indians  became 
objects  of  suspicion  and  persecution  from  both  .sides.  Although 
they  volunteered  their  services  to  the  colonists,  and  were  often 
employed  both  as  warriors  and  guides,  they  were  continually 
subjected  to  all  the  insult  and  injury  which  the  petty  tyranny  of 
military  officers  and  the  malignity  of  a  bigoted  popular  sentiment 
could  inflict  on  them.  Their  fidehty  to  the  whites  is  attested  by 
Mr.  Gookin,  and  other  men  of  high  character,  yet  they  were  sus- 


TIIR   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


477 


ppcted  to  1)0  traitors,  and  almost  every  disaster  and  lovorso  of 
fortune  was  attributed  to  their  agency,  and  drew  down  upon  their 
devoted  heads  tlie  vengeance  of  an  infuriated  ])ojMilace.  The  work 
of  Mr.  Gookin  is  filled  with  incidents  of  this  kind,  of  the  most 
pathetic  interest,  in  which  these  unfortunate  ])coplc  arc  seen  on  the 
one  hand  warning  the  colonists  of  approaching  danger;  guiding 
them  through  the  mazes  of  the  wildernes.s,  or  sharing  with  them 
the  dangerous  vicissitudes  of  the  battle ;  while  on  the  other,  we  see 
them  falsely  accused,  arrested,  beaten,  imprisoned,  their  property 
jilundercd,  and  their  families  turned  out  to  starve.  That  the  red 
man  should  shrink  with  utter  aversion  from  a  civilization  offered 
him  upon  such  hard  terms,  and  turn  with  scepticism  and  disgust 
from  a  Gospel  offering  such  bitter  fruit,  cannot  be  surprising. 

We  learn  from  this  work  that  the  "  Praying  Indians"  were 
numerous,  which  is  a  sulFicient  proof  of  their  willingness  to  receive 
the  Gospel,  if  it  had  been  otTered  to  them  in  an  acceptable  manner. 
"  The  situation  of  those  towns  was  such,"  says  this  writer,  "  that 
the  Indians  in  them  might  well  have  been  improved,  as  a  Avail  of 
defence  about  the  greatest  part  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts ;  for 
the  first  named  of  those  villages  bordered  upon  the  Merrimack 
River,  and  the  rest  in  order,  about  twelve  or  fourteen  miles  asun- 
der, including  most  of  the  frontiers.  And  had  the  suggestions  and 
importunate  solicitations  of  some  persons,  who  had  knowledge  and 
experience  of  the  fidelity  and  integrity  of  the  Praying  Indians, 
been  attended  and  practised  in  tho  beginning  of  the  war,  many 
and  great  mischiefs  might  have  been  (according  to  reason)  pre- 
vented; for  most  of  the  praying  towns,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  had  put  themselves  in  a  posture  of  defence  against  the  com- 
mon enemy."  "  But  such  was  the  unhappy  state  of  their  affairs, 
or  rather  the  displeasure  of  God  in  the  case,  that  their  counsels 
were  rejected,  and  on  the  contrary,  a  spirit  of  enmity  and  hatred 
conceived  by  many  against  those  poor  Christian  Indians,  as  I  appre- 
hend without  cause,  so  far  as  I  could  ever  understand,  which  was, 


478 


AN   ESSAY   ON  TIIK  HISTORY  OF 


according  1o  tlio  nprrntion  of  sccorul  causes,  n  very  groat  occasion 
of  many  distrossiiig  calamities  that  befell  Initli  one  and  the  other." 

The  worthy  author  conceiving  it  hoth  practical)le  and  desirable 
to  conciliate  the  Indians,  and  willing  to  apologize  for  his  conntry- 
inen  for  tlieir  failure  to  discharge  so  obvious  a  diity,  proceeds  to 
argue  tlie  matter  thus:  "I  have  often  considered  this  matter  and 
come  to  this  result,  in  my  own  thoughts,  that  the  most  holy  and 
righteous  God  hath  overruled  all  coinisels  and  affairs,  in  this  and 
other  things  relating  to  this  war,  for  sucli  wise,  just,  and  holy  ends 
as  these : 

"First. — To  make  a  rod  of  the  harliirous  heathen  to  chastise  and 
punish  the  English  for  tlieir  sins.  The  Lord  had,  a.s  our  faithful 
minister  often  declared,  applied  more  gentle  chfistisem.ents,  gra- 
dually, to  his  New  England  people ;  but  these  proving  in  a  great 
measure  ineffectual,  to  produce  effectual  humiliation,  hence  the 
righteous  and  holy  Lord  is  necessitated  to  draw  forth  this  smarting 
rod  of  the  vile  and  brutish  heathen,  who  indeed  have  been  a  very 
scoiirge  unto  New  England,  and  especially  unto  the  jurisdiction  of 
Massachusetts. 

"  Secondly. — To  teach  war  to  the  young  generation  of  New 
England,  who  had  never  been  acquainted  with  it:  and  especially 
to  teach  old  and  young  how  little  confidence  is  to  be  put  in  the 
arm  of  flesh.         *  *  * 

"  Thirdly. — The  purging  and  trying  the  faith  of  the  godly  Eng- 
lish and  Christian  Indians  certainly  was  another  end  God  aimed  at 
in  this  chastisement.  And  the  discovery  of  hypocrisy  and  wicked- 
ness in  some  that  were  ready  to  cry  'Aha!'  at  the  .sore  calamity 
upon  the  English  people  in  this  war,  and,  as  much  as  in  them  lay, 
to  overthrow  God's  work  in  gospelizing  the  poor  Indians. 

"Fourthly. — Doubtless  one  great  enn  <jod  aimed  at  was  the 
destruction  of  many  wicked  heathen,  whose  iniquities  were  now 
full."        *  *  * 

The  author  proceeds  to  state  that  "  the  Nfarragansetts,  by  their 


THK  NdUTII  A^rKUICA\   INDIANS 


470 


n<r(Mit  PotuHic,  nrtrcd  ihiit  the  Enirlisli  slioiild  not  sitiid  any  !itri(iii;r 
them  to  prciich  the  flospcl,  or  call  upon  tliciri  to  pray  to  God.  Hut 
the  Eii<,dis]i  rofiisinir  |o  coin'cdc  to  such  an  article  it  was  witlidrawii, 
and  a  peace  concluded  for  that  time.  In  this  act  tlicy  declared 
what  tlu^ir  hearts  were,  viz:  to  reject  Clu'ist  and  his  "Trace  onTcrcd 
to  thorn  helore.  But  tlic  Lord  Jesus,  helbrc  the  expiration  of 
eiifhtenn  montlis,  destroyed  the  l)ody  of  the  Narra<4unsett  nation, 
tliat  would  not  have  Him  to  reit,ni  over  tliem,  particularly  all  their 
sachcrns,  and  this  Potm-he,  a  chief  counsellor  and  a  suhtle  fellow, 
who  was  then  at  Rhode  Island,  comins,^  vohmtarily  there,  and 
afterward  sent  to  Boston  and  there  executed."  It  appears  from 
other  autliorities  that  tiiis  Putuche  was  an  eminent  warrior,  that  ho 
was  a  prisoner  of  war,  and  that  his  only  offence  was  that  of  being 
taken  in  arms  against  the  enemies  of  lii.-i  country.  The  whole  of 
this  account  affords  a  singular  wposition  of  the  spirit  of  the  times. 
An  intolerant  people,  l)rooking  no  religion  hut  their  own,  nor  any 
form  of  tlieir  own,  but  that  which  they  professed,  enforcing  their 
own  harsh  dogmas  upon  an  ignorant  nation  by  the  edge  of  the 
sword,  yet  coolly  averring  themselves  to  be  the  passive  instruments 
of  Providence  in  this  work  of  carnage !  An  eminently  religious 
people,  actuated  by  a  benevolent  desire  to  convert  the  heatlien,  yet 
defeating  their  own  noble  purpose  by  the  very  means  employed  to 
effect  it ! 

We  find  the  following  note  attached  to  Gookin's  History  by  the 
Committee  of  Publication:  —  "No  remark  on  the  contempt  in 
which  the  poor  Itidians  were  held  by  men  on  so  many  accounts  to 
be  venerated  can  be  more  appropriate  than  the  following  note  by 
Governor  Hutchinson.  'It  seems  strange,'  says  he,  'that  men, 
who  professed  to  believe  that  God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  should  so  early,  and  upon  every  occasion,  take 
care  to  preserve  this  distinction.  Perhaps  nothing  has  more  effect- 
ally  defeated  the  endeavors  for  Christianizing  the  Indians.  1; 
seems  to  have  done  more ;  to  have  sunk  their  spirits,  led  them  to 


•130 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


intemp'iancc,  and  extirpated  the  whole  race.'  This  remark  was 
made  vipon  a  passage  in  Major  Gibbon's  instructions,  on  being  sent 
against  the  Narragansetts  in  1645,  in  these  words :  '  You  are  to 
have  due  regard  to  the  distance  which  is  to  be  observed  betwixt 
Christians  and  barbarians,  as  well  in  war  as  in  other  negotiations.'  " 

In  another  note  to  the  same  book  we  read  : — "  So  obnoxious  were 
the  friends  of  the  Praying  Indians  to  the  mass  of  the  people,  that 
Gookin  said  on  the  bench,  while  holding  a  court,  that  he  was 
afraid  to  go  along  tlie  streets ;  and  the  author  of  '  A  Letter  to 
London,'  says,  that  his  (Gookin's)  taking  the  Indians'  part  so 
Tiuch,  had  made  him  a  by-word  among  men  and  boys." 

As  a  further  evidence  of  the  cruelty  and  bad  faith  \thich  were 
observed  towards  tlie  Indians  by  the  people  of  New  England,  we 
quote  the  following  passage  from  Drake's  "  Book  of  the  Indians." 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1676,  according  to  Church's  account, 
Tispaquin's  company  were  encamped  near  Sippican,  doing  "great 
damage  to  the  English,  in  killing  their  cattle,  horses  and  swine." 
The  next  day  Church  and  his  rangers  were  in  their  neighborhood, 
and  after  observing  their  situation,  which  was  "  sitting  round  their 
fires  in  a  thick  place  of  brush,"  in  seeming  safety,  the  captain 
ordered  every  man  to  creep  as  he  did;  and  surrounded  them  by 
creeping  as  near  as  they  could,  till  they  should  be  discovered,  and 
then  run  on  upon  them,  and  take  them  alive,  if  possible  (for  their 
prisoners  were  their  pay.)  Thoy  did  so,  taking  every  one  that  was 
at  the  fires,  none  escaping.  Upon  examination  they  agreed  in 
their  story  that  they  belonged  to  Tispaquin,  who  was  gone  with 
John  Bump  and  one  more  to  Agawam  and  Sippican  to  kill  horses^ 
and  were  not  expected  back  in  two  or  three  days."  Church  pro 
ceeds :  "  This  same  Tispaquin  had  been  a  great  captain,  and  the 
Indians  reported  that  he  was  such  a  great  powwau,  priest  or  con^ 
juror,  thit  no  bullet  could  enter  him.  Captain  Church  said,  he 
would  not  have  him  killed,  for  there  was  a  war  broken  out  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  country,  and  he  would  have  him  saved  to  go 


TIIK   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


481 


with  him  to  fight  the  eastern  Indians.  Agreeably,  he  left  two  old 
squaws  of  the  prisoners,  and  bid  them  tarry  there  until  their  cap- 
tain Tispaquin  returned,  and  to  tell  him  that  Church  had  been 
there,  and  had  taken  his  wife,  children,  and  company,  and  carried 
them  down  to  Plymouth  ;  and  would  spare  all  their  lives  and  his 
too  if  he  wonld  come  down  to  them,  and  bring  the  other  two  that 
were  with  him,  and  they  shoidd  be  his  soldiers,  &c.  Captain 
Church  then  returned  to  Plymouth,  leaving  the  old  squaws  well 
provided  for,  and  biscuit  for  Tispaquin  when  he  returned." 

"  This,  Church,  called  laying  a  trap  for  Tispaquin,  and  it  turned 
out  as  lie  expected.  We  shall  now  see  with  what  faith  the  English 
acted  on  this  occasion.  Church  had  assured  him,  that  if  he  gave 
himself  up  he  should  not  be  killed;  but  he  was  not  at  Plymouth 
when  Tispaquin  came  in,  having  gone  to  Boston,  on  business  for  a 
few  days ;  '  but  when  he  returned,  he  found  to  his  grief  that  the 
heads  of  Annawon,  Tispaquin,  &c  ,  were  cut  off,  which  were  thi 
last  of  Philip'.^i  friends.'  " 

"It  is  true,"  continues  Mr.  Drake,  "that  tho.se  who  were  known 
to  have  been  personally  engaged  in  killing  the  English,  were,  in 
time  of  the  greatest  danger,  cut  off  from  pardon  by  a  law ;  that  time 
had  now  passed  away,  and  like  many  other  laws  of  exigency,  it 
should  then  have  been  considered  a  dead  letter;  leaving  out  of  tlie 
case  the  faith  and  promise  of  their  best  servant.  Church.  View 
it  therefore  in  any  light,  and  nothing  can  be  found  to  justify  this 
flagrant  inroad  upon  the  promise  of  Captain  Church.  To  give  to 
the  conduct  of  the  Plymouth  government  a  pretext  for  this  murder, 
(a  milder  expre.ssion  I  cannot  use,)  Mr.  Hubbard  says,  'Tispaquin 
having  pretended  that  a  bullet  could  not  penetrate  him,  trial  of  his 
invulnerableness  was  re-solved  upon.  So  he  was  placed  as  a  marK 
to  shoot  at,  '  and  he  fell  down  at  the  first  shot !'  " 

"This  was  doubtless  the  end  of  nuv-ierous  others,  as  we  infer 
from  the  following  passage  in  Dr.  Math.r's  '  Prevalency  of  Praye* 
He  asks,  '  Where  are  the  six  Narraganset'i.  sachems,  with  all  theii 

61 


482 


AN    ESSAY  ON  THE   HISTORY  OF 


captains  and  counsellors?  Where  are  the  Nipninck  sachems,  with 
all  their  captains  and  counsellors?  Where  is  Pliillip,  and  squaw 
sachem  of  Pocasset,  with  all  their  captains  and  counsellors?  God 
do  so  to  all  the  implacable  enemies  of  Christ,  and  his  people  in  New 
England  !'  " 

If  the  pious  men  of  that  day  could  thus  pray  for  the  blood  of  the 
Indian,  what  could  be  expected  from  the  unreflecting  j)ortion  of  the 
community,  and  especially  from  that  portion  of  them  who  were 
trained  to  war?  And  what  degree  of  efficacy  could  we  attribute  to 
the  prayers  and  efforts  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  mingled 
with  such  ejaculations  of  triumph  for  their  destruction,  and  so  pro- 
digal a  shedding  of  their  blood? 

There  is  not  a  more  touching  passage  in  the  history  of  this  de- 
voted people,  than  that  which  records  the  pious  labors  of  the  Mora- 
vian brethren,  and  the  melancholy  catastrophe  by  which  the  fruits 
of  their  exertions  were  blasted.  The  Moravian  missionaries  seem 
to  have  been  persons  of  irreproachable  purity;  humble  and  simple 
minded;  who  brought  to  their  work  a  truly  apostolic  singleness  of 
purpose.  Their  preaching  was  not  connected  with  any  plan  of 
colonization,  aggrandizement,  or  confpiost;  nor  was  it  accessor}'  to 
the  propagation  of  a  particidar  form  of  faith.  It  did  not  contain 
within  itself  the  elements  of  discord,  as  has  been  the  case  with  too 
many  of  the  profes.sed  plans  for  converting  the  heathen,  even  under 
the  most  imposing  auspices.  The  missionaries  had  no  other  oljject 
in  view,  than  the  conversion  of  tlie  Indians;  and  we  contemplate 
the  adventures  of  Heckewelder,  Jung,  Zeisberger,  Senseman,  and 
Edwards,  with  sentiments  of  respect  for  them,  and  sorrow  for  the 
fate  of  their  enterprise. 

The  missionary,  Frederick  Post,  visited  the  Indians  on  the  Ohio, 
in  1758,  and  several  others  penetrated  into  the  wilderness  at  an 
early  period.  The  Morax  ian  towns,  whose  history  we  learn  from 
the  publications  of  H(H'lve\velder  and  Luskiol.  were  founded  previ- 
cMii  to  that  time      They  were  situated  on  the  Muskingum  River,  in 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


483 


Ohio,  and  were  established  while  that  country  was  yet  an  unbroken 
wilderness.  Here  the  Moravians  collected  a  number  of  converts, 
from  among  the  Delaware  Indians,  estimated  by  some  writers  at 
about  four  hundred,  and  erected  them  into  a  religious  community, 
inhabiting  three  villages,  Salem,  Schoenbrund,  and  Gnadenhutten. 
These  villages  were  six  or  seven  miles  apart,  and  were  situated 
south  from  the  present  town  of  New  Philadelphia,  from  which 
place  the  nearest  of  them  was  distant  about  fifteen  miles.  They 
were  sixty  or  seventy  miles  west  of  Pittsburg,  which  was  then  the 
nearest  place  inhabited  by  civilized  men.  The  country  in  that 
vicinity  is  healthful  and  fertile,  and  well  adapted  to  agricultural 
purposes ;  and  the  little  fraternity  of  believers,  who  separated  them- 
selves from  the  world,  to  cultivate  and  enjoy  the  peaceful  fruits  of 
religion,  combined  with  useful  labor,  might  have  found  here  the 
happiness  they  sought,  and  have  created  a  blooming  paradise  in  the 
wilderness,  had  not  the  unsettled  state  of  the  times  left  them  unpro- 
tected, and  exposed  to  insult  and  finally  to  destruction.  It  is  im- 
possible to  ascertain,  what  progress  was  made  by  these  converts,  in 
the  arts  of  civilization,  as  their  existence  was  brief,  and  their  history 
little  known  to  any  whites  but  the  missionaries.  It  is  certain  that 
they  embraced  the  Christian  faith,  abandoned  war,  and  resorted  to 
agriculture  for  subsistence.  They  became  essentially  a  pacific  peo- 
ple, .  nd  prospered  so  far  as  was  dependent  on  their  own  exertions. 
But  ti  ^"  times  were  not  propitious  to  a  fair  trial  of  the  experiment. 
The  Ro  >lutionary  War  was  about  to  break  out,  and  the  agents  of 
the  Britii  Government  were  busily  employer'  in  the  incendiary 
work  of  inciting  the  savages  to  war.  The  adventurous  baclcwoods- 
men  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  had  cro.ssed  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  and  were  exploring  the  luxuriant  forests  of  the  West, 
in  search  of  fertile  lands.  They  had  surmounted  the  barrier  which 
the  Indians  had  supposed  would  protect  their  hunting-grounds,  and 
which  the  officious  foreigner  had  pointed  out  to  them  as  a  natural 
boundary  between  the  white  and  red  races.     The  excitement  was 


484: 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


great  throughout  the  whole  frontief,  aud  at  no  time  in  our  history 
have  the  hostilities  between  these  parties  assumed  a  more  fierce  and 
unrelenting  character,  than  that  which  characterized  the  wars  of 
this  period.  Two  of  the  British  emissaries,  McKee  and  Girty, 
were  men  who,  to  great  industry  and  perseverance  in  their  despica- 
ble office,  added  a  cold-hlootlod  and  sanguinary  cruelty,  for  which 
a  parallel  can  scnrcelv  be  found  in  the  annals  of  crime.  The  savao-e 
mind,  already  irritated  by  the  encroachments  of  the  Avhite  settlets, 
became  infuriated  by  the  inflammatory  harangues  of  these  agents, 
accompanied  by  presents,  by  promised  rewards,  by  the  hope  of 
I)lunder,  by  the  lust  of  revenge,  and,  by  that  most  fearful  engine  of 
destruction,  the  intoxicating  draught. 

The  Moravian  villages  were  situated  about  midway  between 
some  of  the  Indian  towns  and  the  advanced  settlements  of  the 
whites,  and  as  they  practised  a  pacific  demeanor  towards  both  par- 
ties, receiving  both  alike  with  Christian  kindness  and  hospitality, 
they  soon  became  suspected  by  each  of  secretly  favoring  the  other. 
The  riglits  of  una'-med  neutrals  are  seldom  respected  by  warriors 
with  arms  in  their  hands,  and  with  appetites  whetted  for  plunder. 
The  rough  militia  from  the  frontier,  and  the  painted  savage,  equally 
despised  the  humble  convert  of  the  cross,  jud  branded  as  hypocrisy 
and  cowardice  that  spirit  of  non-resistance  which  they  could  not 
understand. 

Under  all  these  disadvantages  the  commiuiity  continued  to  flou- 
rish until  the  actual  breaking  out  of  the  Revolulionary  War  in  1775. 
Up  to  that  period  there  had  been  encroachments,  jealousy,  quarrels, 
marauding  excursions,  and  occasionally  a  petty  border  warfare ;  but 
now  there  was  a  general  war  of  a  bitter  and  unsparing  character. 
The  American  Colonies,  barely  able  to  maintain  the  contest  on  the 
sea-board,  against  the  fleets  and  armies  of  Great  Britain,  had  no 
troops  to  send  to  the  frontier,  where  the  pioneers  wero  obliged  to 
defend  themselves  against  the  combined  British  and  Indian  force. 
It  vvas  a  warfare  such  as  we  trust  will  never  again  disgrace  the  flag 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


485 


of  any  Christian  people,  or  pollute  the  soil  of  our  country — a  war 
against  individuals,  which  brought  distress  and  ruin  to  the  fireside, 
without  any  perceptible  effect  upon  the  national  quarrel,  or  any 
advantage  to  either  of  the  principal  parties.  The  burning  of  the 
settler's  cabin — the  murder  of  women  and  children — the  plunder  of 
an  indigent  peasantry,  whose  whole  wealth  yielded  to  the  ruffian 
invader  nothing  but  the  fruits  of  the  earth  and  the  spoils  of  the 
chase, — all  this  was  poor  game  for  the  diplomatic  skill  and  military 
energies  of  a  first-rate  European  power.  The  backwoodsmen,  left 
to  contend  unaided  against  this  formidable  allied  power,  imbibed 
the  bitter  feeling,  and  adopted  the  savage  warfare  of  their  enemies, 
so  that  the  contest  became  not  only  fierce  and  bfoody,  but  was 
marked  by  cruelties  of  the  most  atrocious  character. 

The  war  parties  of  either  side,  in  passing  the  villages  of  the 
Christian  Indians,  often  found  it  convenient  to  stop,  and  were  always 
kindly  entertained  by  this  pacific  community,  who  would  not  have 
dared,  even  if  so  disposed,  to  refuse  the  rites  of  liospitality  to  armed 
men.  It  was  not  easy,  under  such  circumstances,  to  avoid  the  sus- 
picion of  partiality.  Even  their  benevolence,  and  their  aversion  to 
the  shedding  of  blood,  led  them  into  acts  which,  however  humane, 
were  incautious.  They  sometimes  became  apprised  of  the  plans  of 
the  Indians,  to  surprise  and  massacre  the  whites,  and  by  sending 
secret  messages  to  the  latter,  saved  them  from  the  impending 
destruction ;  and  when  the  famished  and  way-worn  fugitives,  who 
had  escaped  from  captivity,  sought  a  refuge  at  their  doors,  they  se- 
creted and  fed  them,  and  assisted  them  in  eluding  their  pursuers. 
The  red  warriors,  on  the  other  hand,  were  always  received  with 
hospitality,  and  experienced,  no  doubt,  all  the  kindness  which  was 
extended  to  our  own  peoj  ,  The  charities  of  this  kind  people 
were  probably  numerous,  for  it  was  a  rude  season,  and  many  were 
the  sufferers  driven  by  the  blasts  of  war  to  seek  shelter  within  their 
doors.  It  followed  naturally,  that  whenever  a  secret  plan  failed  of 
success,  in  consequence  of  its  being  discovered  and  frustrated  uv 


m 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


the  opposite  party,  tlie  Moravians  were  charged  with  the  disclosure. 
Their  habitual  kindness  was  forgotten,  the  benevolence  of  their  mo- 
tive was  not  taken  into  account,  and  they  were  cursed  as  spies  and 
traitors,  for  actions  of  which  they  were  wholly  innocent,  or  which 
were  honorable  to  them  as  men  and  as  Christians. 

The  Moravian  villages  were  called  "  the  half-way  houses  of  the 
warriors,"  and  this  phrase  was  used  in  fierce  derision  by  the  law- 
less men,  who  despised  the  meek  professors  of  a  pacific  creed,  who 
were  content  to  till  the  soil,  taking  no  side  in  the  portentous  war, 
whose  thunders  were  rolling  on  every  side.  The  neutrality  im- 
plied in  the  term  half-way  house,  was  any  thing  but  pleasing  to 
warriors  embitfered  by  an  implacable  hatred ;  and  the  helplessness 
that  should  have  protected  the  brethren  only  invited  insult. 

As  early  as  1754,  they  are  said  to  have  been  oppressed  by  a  tri- 
bute exacted  from  them  by  the  Hurons;  and  about  the  same  time  a 
plot  to  remove  their  residence  to  Wajonick,  on  the  Susquehanna, 
was  set  on  foot  by  the  "  Wild  Indians,"  in  alliance  with  the  French, 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  the  Moravians  out  of  the  way,  that  they 
might  with  more  secrecy  assail  the  English  settlements.  Many  of 
the  brethren  fell  into  this  snare,  and  some  of  the  chiefs  among  them 
were  tempted  to  advocate  the  measure,  from  a  latent  desire  to  re- 
turn to  the  war  path.  The  missionaries  discovered  the  moving 
springs  of  the  intrigue,  and  refused  to  sanction  the  removal ;  but 
about  seventy  of  their  followers  emigrated  to  that  and  other  places. 

In  the  spring  of  1778,  the  English  emissaries  McKee,  Elliot, 
Girty,  and  others,  having  been  arrested  at  Pittsburg  as  tories,  made 
their  escape,  and  passing  rapidly  through  the  tribes,  proclaimed 
that  the  Americans  were  preparing  to  destroy  the  Indians,  and 
called  upon  the  latter  to  strike  at  the  settlements  in  self-defence. 
The  whole  frontier  was  thrown  into  a  ferment  by  this  incendiary 
movement. 

About  the  year  1780  a  large  Indian  force  was  collected  for  the 
iirpose  of  striking  a  decisive  blow  at  the  settlements  of  Western 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


487 


Virginia,  but  on  reaching  the  points  intended  to  be  assailed,  full  of 
expectation,  and  flushed  in  advance  with  the  hope  of  plunder,  they 
were  disappointed  by  finding  that  preparations  were  made  for  their 
reception.  Mortified  with  this  result,  they  retreated  to  a  safe  dis- 
tance, and  having  taken  a  number  of  prisoners,  they  deliberately 
tortured  and  murdered  them,  with  every  refinement  of  savage 
cruelty.  The  suflerers  were  so  numerous,  and  the  barbarities  prac- 
tised upon  them  so  aggravated,  as  to  cause  an  extraordinary  excite- 
ment in  the  American  settlements.  In  1781  Colonel  Broadhead,  of 
Pennsylvania,  led  an  expedition  against  the  hostile  Indians;  and 
halting  near  Salem,  directed  the  inhabitants  to  collect  their  peoj)le 
and  remain  within  doors,  that  they  might  not  be  mistaken  for  ene- 
mies by  his  exasperated  troops.  While  this  officer  was  assuring 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Heckewelder  that  the  Moravian  Indians  should  be 
protected,  the  incensed  militia  were  preparing  to  destroy  the  towns, 
and  it  was  only  by  the  most  strenuous  exertions  of  the  officers  that 
the  poor  Indians  were  saved  from  destruction. 

Not  long  after  this  event,  a  chief  called  Pach-gaut-schi-hi-las 
appeared  suddenly  at  Gnadenhutten,  at  the  head  of  eighty  war- 
riors, and  surrounded  the  village,  so  as  to  allow  no  one  to  escape. 
The  panic-stricken  brethren,  expecting  that  the  hour  for  their 
extermination  had  arrived,  pivp-u'od  to  meet  their  fate.  The  chief, 
however,  relieved  their  fears  by  demanding  the  delivery  of  certain 
leading  men,  who  were  fiaund  to  be  absent.  After  consulting  with 
the  brethren,  the  chief  greeted  them  kindly,  spoke  with  respect  of 
their  pacific  habits,  and  deplored  their  exposed  position  on  ih^  very 
road  over  which  the  hostile  parties  must  pass  to  reach  each  oilier. 
They  had  just  escaped  destruction  from  one  of  these  parties,  and 
he  advised  them  to  remove  to  a  distance  from  the  war-path.  The 
Christi:m  Indians,  relying  upon  the  innocence  of  their  lives,  de- 
clined to  remove. 

In  the  autumn  of  178T,  "a  troop  of  savages,  commanded  by 
English  officers,"  surrounded  and  pillaged  the  unprotected  villages 


488 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE   HISTORY  OF 


of  the  Moravian  Indians.  Tiic  corn-fields,  just  ready  for  tlie  liar 
vest,  were  ravaged  by  tlie  nithk>ss  invaders,  "two  luindred  cattle, 
four  hundred  hogs,  and  much  corn  in  store"  were  taken  from  them, 
'['heir  houses  were  broken  open,  their  altars  desecrated,  and  them- 
selves treated  with  merciless  contempt.  A  young  Indian  woman, 
who  accompanied  the  warriors,  was  so  touched  by  the  distresses  of 
tlie  brethren,  some  of  whom  were  her  own  tribe  and  kindred,  that 
she  left  the  camp  secretly,  and  taking  a  horse  of  Captain  Pipe,  the 
leader  of  the  marauding  Indians,  rode  to  Pittsburg,  where  she  gave 
intelligence  of  the  misfortunes  which  had  bolallen  the  bretlu'cn. 
Tliis  spirited  woman  was  a  near  relative  of  Glikhikan,  a  distin- 
guislied  chief  of  the  Delawares,  described  by  Ileckewelder  as  "an 
eminent  captain  and  warrior,  counsellor  and  speaker,"  who  was 
now  a  member  of  the  Christian  community,  and  on  him  the 
savages  determined  to  wreak  their  vengeance,  on  the  discovery  of 
thp  mission  of  his  kinswoman.  He  was  seized  at  Salem,  and 
carried  to  Gnadenhutten,  singing  his  death-song.  It  was  proposed 
to  cut  him  in  pieces  at  once ;  and  the  Delawares,  who  were  exas- 
perated against  him  for  having  quitted  the  usages  of  his  people, 
were  clamorous  for  his  instant  execution ;  but  he  was  saved  by  the 
interposition  of  a  chief,  who  insisted  that  he  should  be  fairly  tried. 
Upon  examination  he  was  found  to  be  innocent,  in  regard  to  the 
matter  which  had  caused  his  arrest,  and  he  was  set  at  liberty,  but 
not  until  his  persecutors  had  given  vent  to  their  malignity  by 
loading  him  with  the  vilest  epithets.  Their  rage  was  now  directed 
to  the  missionaries,  and  the  chiefs  were  nearly  unanimous  in  the 
conclusion  to  put  them  to  death.  On  so  important  a  matter  it  was 
considered  requisite  to  consult  one  of  their  sorcerers,  whose  reply 
was  that  "  he  could  not  understand  what  end  it  would  answer  to 
kill  them."  The  chiefs  then  held  a  counsel,  at  which  it  was 
resolved  to  put  to  death  not  only  the  missionaries  and  their  families, 
but  those  of  the  Indian  converts  who  were  prominently  engaged  in 
religious  duties.     But  the  sorcerer  again  interposed  the  powerful 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


489 


shield  of  his  protection ;  he  said  that  some  of  the  chief  men  among 
the  hrctlircn  were  his  friends,  and  that  he  would  serve  them  at 
every  hazard.  "If  you  hurt  any  of  them,"  said  he,  "I  know  what 
I  shall  do."  The  threat  was  effectual ;  and  the  Christian  ministers 
were  rescued  from  a  cruel  death,  hy  the  priest  of  superstition.  But 
the  sufferings  of  this  devoted  conununity  did  not  end  here.  The 
missionaries  were  carried  to  Detroit,  and  arraigned  before  tiie 
British  commandant  as  traitors  and  enemies  of  the  king.  The 
modern  Feli.\,  after  a  full  examination  of  the  charges,  was  com- 
pelled to  admit  the  innocence  of  the  prisoners,  and  they  were 
discharged.  But  the  object  of  the  instigators  of  this  flagitious 
transaction  was  accomplished.  The  Indians  were  driven  for  the 
time  from  their  villages.  Heretofore,  though  often  pillaged  and 
threatened,  their  lives  and  persons  had  been  spared,  and  some 
respect  was  attached  to  their  character:  but  this  bold  outrage, 
sanctioned  by  the  British  authority,  destroyed  all  feeling  of  re- 
straint on  the  part  of  the  savages,  and  they  were  now  continually 
harassed  by  the  war  parties.  Compelled  to  quit  their  once  quiet 
habitations,  they  wandered  through  the  wilderness  to  the  plains  of 
Sandusky,  distant  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  where 
many  of  them  perished  miserably  of  famine  during  the  succeeding 
winter. 

In  the  ensuing  month  of  February,  a  wretched  remnant,  n\imber- 
ing  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  persecuted  converts,  returned 
to  their  former  habitations,  to  seek  among  their  ruined  huts  and 
desolated  hearths  some  relics  of  the  former  abundance,  to  save 
themselves  from  starvation.  Here  they  met  with  a  party  of  militia 
from  the  settlements,  who  in  the  brutal  indulgence  of  that  hatred 
for  the  red  men,  which  embraced  every  branch  of  that  unhappy 
race,  slew  ninety  of  these  starving  fugitives.  The  remainder 
crawled  back  to  their  companions  at  Sandusky. 

However  broken  and  disheartened  by  these  various  calamities, 
the  Moravian  Indians  still  clung  to  their  bond  of  union,  for  in  1782 

62 


490 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THK   HISTORY   OF 


they  wiTu  -.v^-Am  colli  ctctl  at  tlioir  villages.  Their  previous  mis 
fortunes  seem  to  have  hoeii  attributable  to  the  intrigues  of  Elliot, 
Girty,  and  McKec,  the  British  agents,  who  were  always  their 
implacable  persecutors.  But  they  were  singularly  unfortunate  in 
liaving  no  fricuils  on  either  side,  for  the  American  borderers  were 
not  loss  their  enemies.  E.xasperated  by  the  continual  incursions  of 
the  Indians,  and  the  atrocious  cruelties  perpetrated  by  them,  they 
imbibed  a  spirit  of  revenge  which  was  too  bitter  and  too  blind  to 
leave  any  power  of  discrimination  between  the  guilty  and  the  inno- 
cent. They  assumed,  strangely  enough,  that  the  Praying  Indians 
of  the  Muskingum  were  the  tools  of  these  foreign  agents,  of  whom 
in  fact  tliey  Avcrc  the  victims  equally  with  themselves.  Nourish- 
ing a  deadly  rancor  against  the  whole  race,  they  took  no  pains  to 
inquire  into  the  justice  of  their  suspicions,  for  revenge  is  always 
blind  and  incapable  of  any  just  measure  of  retribution.  In  1782, 
an  expedition  was  planned  by  the  settlers  in  Western  Virginia, 
under  Colonel  William  Crawford,  against  the  hostile  Indians,  and 
the  destruction  of  the  Moravian  towns  Avas  deliberately  contem- 
plated as  a  part  of  the  plan.  Unhappily  the  hand  of  desolation  had 
al.eady  performed  its  work  so  effectually  as  to  leave  little  to  be 
done ;  but  that  little  was  now  completed.  The  followers  of  Craw- 
ford found  desolated  fields  and  ruined  habitations,  tenanted  by  a 
few  broken-spirited  wretches,  who  were  again  driven  forth  into  the 
wilderness,  never  to  be  re-assembled.  While  the  unresisting  Chris- 
tian fell  tlms  a  prey  to  every  fierce  marauder,  the  sword  of  retribu- 
tive justice  was  not  sleeping  in  its  scabbard  ;  it  Avas  now  ready  to 
fall  on  the  head  of  the  offender.  The  ill-fated  troops  of  Crawford 
proceeded  to  the  plains  of  Sandusky,  where  they  encountered  a 
large  Indian  force,  and  a  battle  ensued  which  lasted  from  noon 
until  sunset.  The  next  day  the  savages  increased  in  number,  the 
camp  was  surrounded,  and  the  most  gloomy  ajyprehensions  began 
to  be  entertained.  The  troops  were  brave  and  hardy  volunteers, 
but  thev  were  raw  and  insubordinate,  and  there  seems  to  have 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


•iOl 


been  but  little,  skill  or  firmness  among  the  officers.  A  retreat  was 
resolved  upon;  Imt  heminecl  in  by  a  numerous  and  active  foe,  tliis 
measure  was  scarcely  practicable.  Discordant  counsels  were  added 
to  the  difficulties ;  a  diffi;rence  of  opinion  arose  as  to  the  mode  of 
retreat,  some  proposing  tliat  the  army  should  retire  in  a  compact 
body,  while  others  advised  a  division  into  a  number  of  parties,  who 
should  cut  their  way  through  the  enemy  in  different  directions. 
Both  plans  were  attempted,  but  neither  of  them  with  energ}'.  The 
troops  became  panic-struck,  discipline  was  thrown  aside,  and  every 
movement  was  the  result  of  mere  impulse.  The  routed  troops 
retreating  in  disorder  were  cut  to  [)ieces  or  captured  in  detail,  and 
but  few  escaped  to  tell  the  dismal  story.  Crawford  himself  was 
taken  prisoner,  and  carried  to  an  Indian  town,  where  he  was 
beaten,  tortured  with  lingering  torments,  and  burnt  at  the  stake 
with  every  indignity  and  aggravation  of  suffering  which  the 
malignity  of  the  savage  could  suggest.  Girty,  the  British  agent, 
witnessed  these  shocking  rites,  laughed  at  the  agonies  of  the  suf- 
ferer, and  was  an  active  part)'  in  the  bloody  and  atrocious  scene. 

We  have  already  seen  that  the  bad  faith  which  marked  the  con- 
duct of  the  English  towards  the  Aborigines,  was  not  confined  to  any 
locality,  or  to  any  sect  of  the  Colonists.  To  show  the  universality 
of  that  misconduct,  it  is  only  necessary  to  open  at  random  the  his- 
tory of  the  early  settlements,  which  are  fraught  with  instances  of 
the  reckless  imprudence,  or  desperate  perfidy  of  the  English  ad- 
venturers. 

General  Oglethorpe,  who  landed  in  Georgia  in  1732,  was  kincily 
received  by  the  Indians,  who  professed  a  high  degree  of  veneration 
for  the  character  of  the  English,  in  consequence  of  the  amicable 
intercourse  which  had  prevailed  between  themselves  and  a  com- 
mander who  had  visited  them  a  century  before,  supposed  to  have 
been  Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  Oglethorpe  carried  several  of  their 
chiefs  to  England  in  1734,  where  they  were  entertained  with  great 
hospitality,  and  whence  they  reiurned  with  the  most  favorable  im- 


492 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE   IIISTOHV  OF 


pres-iii  ,:  t()u:inls  llic  wliitc  people.  It  is  laiiu'ii1;i1)lo  to  riMiiark 
tlmt  ail  intercourse  couinieneed  under  such  promising  anspicos, 
sliould  liiive  been  almost  immediately  Iirokeii  up  by  the  iniscoiuluet 
of  individuals.  As  early  as  17  WJ,  when  Georgia  was  invaded  hy 
the  Spaniards,  the  natives  were  enlisted  as  auxiliaries  on  Initli  sides, 
and  thus  placed  in  a  po.sition  which  must  inevital)ly  he  ruinous  to 
tliem,  hv  drawing  upon  them  the  resentment  of  the  whites..  In  the 
expedition  against  Fort  Du  Quesno  the  Cherokees  were  prevailed 
ii|)on  to  join  the  I'lnglish  ;  hut  they  hecanie  soured  hy  the  military 
restraints  under  which  they  were  placed,  by  sus[)icions  of  their 
fidelitv,  which  they  alleged  to  be  unfounded,  and  by  various  other 
injuries,  either  real  or  imaginary.  Having  lost  their  horses,  and 
being  worn  with  the  fatigue  of  a  long  journey,  they  unfortunately, 
on  reaching  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  supplied  themselves  by  taking 
some  horses  which  were  found  running  at  large.  The  inhabitants, 
as  usual,  proceeded  to  iiilliot  summary  justice,  and  about  forty  of 
the  Cherokee  warriors  were  shot  down,  in  cold  blood,  in  ditfereiit 
I)laces,  as  they  passed  through  the  settlements.  After  Braddock's 
defeat,  the  English  olftired  a  reward  for  Indian  scalps,  a  cruel  and 
inexcusable  expedient,  which,  doubtless,  led  to  the  murder  of  many 
of  their  own  allies,  as  their  agents,  in  paying  for  the  bloody  trophy, 
could  not  distinguish  between  those  taken  in  battle  from  their  ene- 
mies, and  those  torn,  for  a  wretched  bribe,  by  the  mercenarv  hand 
of  murder,  from  the  heads  of  their  own  friends.  Another  instance 
occurred  about  the  same  period,  in  which  a  party  of  Cherokees, 
who  had  been  regaled  at  the  house  of  a  white  man,  under  the  im- 
plied safeguard  of  hospitality,  were  surrounded,  and  shot  down  i)v 
rudiaiis  lying  in  ambuscade,  as  they  passed  from  the  place  of  onter- 
tainment!  No  provocation  could  excuse  such  deeds.  The  c;ipture 
in  the  woods  of  a  few  wild  horses  of  little  value,  by  savages  un 
skilled  in  the  laws  relating  to  property,  alTorded  no  just  ])lea  lor  the 
shedding  of  blood;  and  no  offence  could  justify  a  deliberate  viola- 
tion of  good  faith,  by  the  murder  of  confiding  guests.     In  this  re- 


TIIK  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


408 


sped  the  Iiidiims  tlu'iiisolvos  ilispluvcd  a  iiioro  gcru'roiis  coiiduct. 
When  tlio  iiit(;llij,'('iict;  of  tliosc,  iimssiicrcs  rciicliod  tlio  Cliorokoos, 
tlioy  riislitid  to  arms,  and  would  liavt;  slain  several  Eii|j[lislimt'ii, 
wilt)  were  llicii  in  tlicii'  coiiiilry  on  some  business  connected  with 
the  neirotiution  of  a  treaty;  but  their  chief  Attakulhdmlla  inter- 
fered, and  secreted  tiie  whites,  until  he  calmed  the  excited  feelinLj 
of  his  people.  He  tlien  assembled  his  warriors  in  council,  and  pro- 
posed an  iminediatc  war  a}»ainsl  the  English.  "The  hatchet  shall 
never  be  buried,"  said  he,  "  until  the  blood  of  our  people  be  avenged. 
But  let  us  not  violate  our  faith,  by  shedding  the  blood  of  those  who 
are  now  in  our  power.  They  came  to  us  in  confide'ice,  bringing 
l)elts  of  wampum  to  cement  a  j)erpetual  alliance.  Let  us  carry 
them  back  to  their  own  settlements,  and  then  take  up  the  hatchet 
and  endeavor  to  exterminate  the  whole  race  of  them.''  The  Indians 
not  only  adopted  this  advice,  but  proceeded  regularly  to  demand 
the  murderers  from  the  English  authorities,  who  refused  to  comply 
with  the  recpiest;  and  the  result  was  a  war  attended  with  the  usual 
atrocities  of  border  warfare,  and  followed  by  the  common,  and  still 
more  lamentable  result  of  such  hostilities,  a  lasting  haired  between 
the  jiartics — a  hatred,  the  more  calamitous  to  the  Indian,  as  it 
placed  an  insuperable  barrier  between  him  and  all  the  blessings  of 
Christianity  and  civilization. 

\\'ithout  multiplying  any  further  our  instances  from  American 
history,  it  may  be  perceived  that  the  Colonists  never  acted  towards 
the  Indians  with  any  system ;  no  rule  either  of  justice  or  humanity 
regulated  their  conduct,  no  limit  restrained  the  dictate  of  caprice, 
or  the  hand  of  violence.  Every  man  behaved  himself  towards  the 
savage  as  seemed  good  in  his  own  eyes :  to  cheat  the  savage  was 
not  dishonest,  to  rob  him  not  criminal,  to  slay  him  not  murder: 
while  the  attempt  to  protect  him  from  injury,  or  to  teach  him  the 
way  of  salvation,  was  scarcely  deemed  meritorious.  For  all  these 
atrocities,  the  European  governments  are  responsible,  who  inter- 
posed no  restraint  between  their  own  subjects  who  came  to  this 


494 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE  HISTORY  OF 


continent  for  mercenary  purposes,  and  the  natives  who  were  de- 
livered over  to  their  tender  mercies.  In  the  charters  and  patents 
granting  territory  to  the  North  American  colonists,  extensive  loiiii- 
daries  were  set  forth,  but  no  reservation  was  made  in  favor  of  the 
ancient  inhabitants,  no  recognition  of  their  present  occupancy,  nor 
any  mode  prescribed  for  the  purchase  or  extinguishment  of  tiRir 
title.  We  do  not  as.sert  that  they  were  not  attended  to,  nor  ihmy 
that  they  were  sometimes  mentioned  in  terms  of  affected  benevo- 
lence ;  but  we  do  say  that  they  were  not  recognized  in  those  solemn 
public  documents,  as  nations  or  individuals  having  rights  to  be 
respected.  The  intercourse  with  them  was  left  to  be  directed  by 
circumstances;  and  tliis  momentous  interest,  fraught  with  conse- 
quences so  portentous  to  them  and  to  us,  was  modified  and  moulded, 
not  only  by  the  characters  of  the  various  leaders,  but  the  caprice, 
the  interest,  and  the  passions  of  all  those  who  came  in  contact  with 
the  natives.  Hence  the  multifarious  incidents,  and  diverse  causes 
and  influences  which  have  operated  in  producing  the  present  con- 
dition of  that  people,  and  in  forming  our  opinions  concerning  them. 

Previous  to  the  Revolution  we  find  a  better  feeling  growing  up 
in  most  of  the  Colonies.  The  aspirations  of  our  forefathers  for 
liberty,  enlarged  their  minds,  and  implanted  noble  and  generous 
sentiments,  in  regard  to  the  whole  scheme  of  government,  and  the 
entire  system  of  human  rights  and  happiness.  Among  the  first 
acts  of  the  new  confederation  were  measures  of  a  considerate,  and 
just,  and  conciliatory  character  towards  the  Indians;  the  right  of 
the  Indians  to  the  occupancy  of  their  lands  was  distinctly  avowed, 
and  a  system  adopted  for  the  gradual  extinction  of  their  title  by 
purchase,  which,  in  most  cases,  has  been  observed. 

Tiie  boundaries  of  the  Colonies  extended  from  the  sea-coast,  into 
the  interior,  so  far,  in  most  cases,  as  to  embrace  large  districts  of 
wild  land,  occupied  by  the  Indians.  Some  of  them  extended  in- 
definitely to  the  west,  and  we  believe  that  none  of  them  acknow- 
ledged any  other  Ijoundary  than  that  of  a  sister  Colony,  or  some 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


495 


European  possession,  except  wliere  the  ocean  set  bounds  to  the 
sway  of  man.  The  country  was  divided  without  regard  to  the 
Indians,  who  wore  included  in  the  new  sovereignties,  and  who.se 
removal  or  extinction  was  assumed  as  inevitable  in  the  natural 
course  of  events.  The  newly  formed  American  States  adopted  the 
same  boundaries,  and  were  obliged  to  take  the  country  subject  to 
the  existiiiK  stale  of  thin<rs.  There  were  the  Indians,  and  there 
were  the  white  population,  trained  up  in  the  belief  that  the  wilder- 
ness before  them  was  destined  to  be  reclaimed  and  to  blossom  as 
the  rose,  and  that  they  were  the  appointed  instruments  to  effect 
the  transformation.  There  was  the  fixed  and  hardened  public 
sentiment  dooming  the  Indian  to  extirpation,  and  decreeing  the 
descendant  of  the  Saxon  to  a  destiny  as  brilliant  as  vanity,  self- 
love,  interest,  and  ambition,  could  imagine.  What  government 
would  dare  to  protect  a  wretched  remnant  of  savages,  by  arresting 
the  march  of  improvement,  and  palsying  the  energies  of  a  free, 
great,  and  enlightened  people  ?  There  were  the  prejudices,  the 
hatred,  the  rankling  feuds,  the  cherished  mem<)ry  of  mutual  and 
oft-repeated  injuries,  transmitted  througli  successive  generations, 
and  gaining  continual  accessions  from  the  tributary  streams  of  cur- 
rent aggres.sion.  All  tliese  were  encumbered  upon  the  inheritance 
of  our  fathers,  and  unavoidably  influenced  their  councils. 

Tiiere  was  this  marked  difference  between  the  policy  of  the  new 
States  and  that  of  the  colonial  governments  which  preceded  them, 
that  while  both  contemplated  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from 
within  the  boundaries  of  their  several  States,  that  removal  was 
on  the  one  hand  proposed  to  be  voluntary,  on  the  other  compul- 
sory :  the  European  governments  took  the  land  of  the  natives 
whenever  it  pleased  diem  to  do  so;  the  Anun'itan  States  volun 
tarily  pledged  them.selves  to  leave  the  LuHans  unmolested  until 
their  title  to  the  lands  they  occupied  could  be  extinguished,  peace- 
ably, by  purchase. 

By  the  union  of  the  States  the  intercourse  with  the  Indians 


4!t() 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


became  com])licate(l  by  a  further  modification.  In  adjusting  the 
division  of  power  between  the  General  Government  and  the  several 
States,  respectively,  of  the  confederacy,  the  intercourse  with  foreign 
nations  was  given  up  to  the  former,  while  the  latter  reserved  to 
themselves  all  their  sovereignty,  as  regarded  the  internal  police  of 
their  States.  The  intercourse  with  the  Indians  was  specially  dele- 
gated to  the  United  States,  embracing  the  whole  subject  of  negotiat- 
ing for  their  lands ;  while  the  respective  States,  members  of  the 
Union,  by  their  own  proper  sovereignty  and  in  the  necessary 
maintenance  of  their  police,  claimed  jurisdiction  over  such  indi- 
viduals or  tribes  as  fell  within  their  lioundaries.  It  is  true  that 
this  jurisdiction  was,  in  practice,  scl(!oiii  extended  over  the  unceded 
territory  of  the  Indians ;  but  that  States,  claiming  without  dispute 
certain  boundaries,  might  exercise  .-iovereignty,  co-extensive  with 
these  bovmdaries,  for  all  the  legitimate  purposes  of  government,  can 
hardly  be  denied.  The  United  States,  reserving  the  right  of  pre- 
emption to  the  lands  of  the  Indians,  and  denying  alike  to  foreign 
states,  to  States  members  of  the  Union,  and  to  individuals,  the 
privilege  of  purchasing  such  lands,  or  of  treating  with  the  Indians, 
assumed  the  immediate  guardianship  over  the  latter,  and  became 
bound  to  the  States  to  remove  them  from  within  their  boundaries, 
whenever  that  desirable  measure  could  be  effected  by  peaceable 
negotiation. 

The  system  that  embraced  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from  thor 
ancient  hunting-grounds  to  lands  allotted  them  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, was.  as  a  system,  doubtless,  a  humane  one.  While  within  the 
jurisdictive  limits  of  States,  they  were  subject  to  the  action  of  the 
anouialous  relations  growing  out  of  such  a  position.  Beyond  those 
limits,  and  away  from  the  consuming  effects  necessarily  attendant 
upon  a  close  approximation  of  the  two  races,  a  season  of  rest  had 
been  aflorded  them,  in  which  to  improve  themselves,  and  be  bene 
fited  by  tlu  'gency  of  those  Christian  labors,  which,  if  their 
present  possessions  are  secured  to  them,  by  a  title  as  indestructiblt 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


4')  7 


as  a  fee-simple  right  can  make  it,  and  the  appropriate  relations  are 
establislied  between  them  and  the  United  States,  will  result  in  their 
preservation  as  a  race,  and  in  advancing  them  to  the  high  destiny 
of  a  civilized  and  Christian  people. 

Notwithstmilinu-  the  an'jrv  contentions  which  were  continiied 
down  to  the  period  of  the  removal  of  the  Indians,  between  citizens 
of  the  States,  and,  in  some  instances,  State  governments  and  them- 
selves, several  of  the  tribes,  especially  the  Cherokees,  had  resorted 
to  agriculture;  some  were  converted  to  Christianity,  schools  were 
established,  and  missionaries  kindly  entertained.  Their  improve- 
ment was  rapid,  and  there  was  a  gratifying  prospect  of  an  auspi- 
cious residt.  They  had  even  invented  an  alphabet,  established  a 
press,  and  given  to  themselves  a  written  language.  They  adopted 
a  written  constitution,  and  organized  a  regular  government.  Here 
the  State  of  Georgia  interposed  her  authority  The  Cherokees 
were  within  the  limits  claimed  by  her,  and  recognized  by  the 
other  States  and  the  Union,  and  she  could  not  be  expected  to  con- 
sent to  the  erection  of  an  independent  State  within  her  boundaries. 
The  formation  of  such  a  State  would  be  inadmissible  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  each  member  of  which,  as  well  as 
the  confederacy,  would  be  bound  in  good  faith  to  protest  against  il 
The  United  States  especially,  being  bound  to  the  State  of  Georgia, 
to  extinguish  the  title  of  the  Cherokees  to  their  land,  by  purchase, 
as  soon  as  the  same  could  be  done  "  peaceably,  and  upon  reasonable 
terms;"  could  neither  consent  to,  nor  connive  at,  a  proceeding 
which  would  render  tho  performance  of  her  own  undertaking 
impossible.  Nor  do  we  understand  diat  this  view^  of  the  case 
necessarily  involved  the  expulsion,  as  individvials,  of  such  portion 
of  the  Cherokees  as  were  engaged  in  agriculture,  or  the  mechanic 
arts.  As  a  people  they  were  denied  a  political  existence  within  the 
State  of  Georgia;  they  were  ofi"ercd  a  [)rice  for  their  lands,  and 
other  lands  with  full  territorial  jurisdiction  and  a  national  organiza- 
tion beyond  the  limits  of  the  States  of  the  Union.     But  any  indi 

08 


498 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


viduni  who  chose  to  remain,  to  submit  to  the  laws  of  Georgia,  and 
to  live  the  life  of  ii  civilized  man,  might  have  done  so. 

We  shall  now  speak  of  the  condition  of  the  south-western  tnhes 
of  the  United  States,  for  the  jiurpose  of  showing  the  actual  amount 
of  civilization  existing  among  them,  previous  to  their  removal,  and 
the  causes,  so  far  as  we  can  ascertain  tljem,  of  the  changes  which 
have  taken  i)]ace,  in  the  mode  of  life,  and  especially  of  such  of 
these  causes  as  bear  upon  the  future  prospects  of  these  tribes. 

The  advances  in  civilization  made  by  the  Creeks,  Cherokees, 
Cliickasaws,  and  Choctaws,  aflbrd  ground  for  the  strongest  en- 
coura<5ement  on  this  subject.  These  were  among  the  most  power- 
ful and  warlike  of  the  aboriginal  tribes — as  wild,  as  ferocious,  as 
untameable  as  any  of  their  race.  Driven  across  the  Alle^diany 
Mountains  by  the  pn-ssure  of  the  white  population,  they  became 
stationary  in  the  fertile  country  lying  between  those  mountains  and 
the  Mississippi,  and  within  the  boundaries  of  Tennessee,  Georgia, 
Alabama,  and  INIississijjpi.  The  tide  of  civilization,  pressing  to  the 
west,  rolled  over  them,  and  left  them  in  an  insulated  j)osition : 
Missouri,  Arkansas,  and  Louisiana  became  interposed  between 
them  and  the  native  tribes  lying  still  further  to  the  west,  leaving 
them  surrounded  by  a  white  population.  Their  hunting-grounds 
were  still  sufficiently  extensive  to  keep  uj)  around  them  an  im- 
mense wilderne.ss,  and  to  afford  room  for  the  free  exercise  of 
savage  customs;  but  there  were  countervailing  causes,  which 
gradually  restrained  and  limited  the  nomadic  habits  and  propensi- 
ties, and  brought  about  a  great  revolution.  The  first  of  these  we 
have  alluded  to;  the  geographical  position  of  the  tribes,  obliged 
them  to  become  stationary  ;  their  villages  became  permanent ;  and 
their  wailike  propensities  were  curbed.  Their  rich  country  and 
fine  climate  tempted  a  number  of  traders  to  settle  among  them,  who 
married  Indian  women,  and  became  identified  with  the  tribes. 

The  first  and  most  effectual  of  the  causes  which  have  beeu 
brought  to  bear  upon  this  portion  of  the  Indian  race,  has  been  the 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


•i'JS) 


mixture  of  whites — the  introduction  into  the  tribes  of  persons 
already  civilized.  We  have  elsewhere  remarked  upon  the  singu- 
lar facility  with  which  the  Indians  admit  the  naturalization  of 
foreigners  among  them.  Jealous  as  they  are,  and  as  all  ignorant 
people  are,  of  strangers,  yet  when  a  white  man  settles  among 
them,  and  adopts  their  mode  of  life,  he  soon  gains  their  confidence, 
and  ceases  to  be  in  any  respect  an  alien.  Cautious  and  suspicious 
in  all  their  doings,  they  receive  such  persons  with  hesitation,  and 
watch  their  conduct  narrowly  for  a  while,  but  their  confidence, 
when  given,  is  without  reserve.  The  adoption  of  white  prisoners 
into  the  Indian  families  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence ;  the 
person  adopted  takes  the  place  of  one  who  has  been  lost,  succeeds 
tj  all  his  rights,  and  in  all  particulars  is  treated  precisely  as  he 
would  have  been  whom  he  represents.  They  seem  to  be  wholly 
unconscious  of  that  prejudice  of  color,  which  is  so  strong  with  us ; 
and  the  superior  knowledge  of  the  white  man,  instead  of  causing 
dislike,  recommends  him  to  fiivor. 

The  children  of  the  intermarriages  between  the  whites  and 
Indians  are  not  placed  under  any  disability,  nor  does  any  dislike 
or  prejudice  attach  to  them.  On  the  contrary  they  are  usually  a 
favored  class,  and  the  only  observable  distinction  is  to  their  advan- 
tage. Their  position  places  them  a  little  in  advance  of  the  Indian ; 
They  have  the  advantages  of  speaking  two  languages,  and  of  being 
taught  by  one  parent  the  warlike  habits  and  manly  e.verci.ses  of  the 
savage,  and  by  the  other  the  arts  of  civilized  life ;  and  they  thus 
become  the  orators,  the  interpreters,  the  counsellors,  and  the  in- 
fluential men,  in  the  negotiations  between  the  Indians  and  the 
white  men.  From  one  of  their  parents  they  inibibe  notions  of 
property,  and  being  more  provident  than  the  savage  in  his  natural 
state,  are  better  provided  with  the  means  of  subsistence,  and  often 
become  wealthy. 

Several  of  the  most  distinguished  chiefs  among  the  southern 
Indians  were  the  descendants  of  white  men,  and  nearly  all  of  those 


500 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


whose  influfiiice  has  been  actively  and  efTectually  exerted  in 
advancing  civilizution,  liave  been  of  tlie  mixed  blood,  and  enjoyed, 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  the  advantages  of  education.  Not  to 
mention  otiiers,  we  may  point  out  Alexander  McGillivray  as  an 
example.  He  was  the  head  of  the  Creek  nation,  and  was  con- 
sidered tlie  most  c'onsj)icnons  of  the  southern  chiefs.  He  suc- 
ceeded to  the  chieftaincy  in  right  of  his  mother,  a  woman  of 
energy  and  talents,  who  ruled  before  him ;  but  he  was  also,  accord- 
ing to  the  Indian  rule,  freely  elected  by  the  nation.  His  father 
was  a  Scotchman,  a  trader,  who,  by  the  thrift  of  his  fatherland, 
made  himself  an  influential  man  amonsj  the  Creeks.  Younfj 
McGillivray  was  born  about  17:39,  and  educated,  from  the  age 
of  ten  years,  under  the  cart;  of  Mr.  Farquhar  McGillivray,  a 
relative  of  his  father,  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  He  learned 
the  Latin  language,  was  much  addicted  to  literature,  and  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  study.  In  the  Revolutionary  War  he  es- 
poused the  British  cause,  but  after  the  peace  became  reconciled  to 
the  American  Government,  visited  President  Washington,  and  was 
much  noticed  in  our  eastern  cities.  He  was  young  when  elected 
chief,  and  died  in  1793,  at  the  age  of  about  fifty-four,  so  that  he 
must  have  been  in  power  about  thirty  years,  with  the  exception  of 
a  short  period,  during  which  he  was  expelled  from  authority  by  an 
adverse  faction,  headed  by  one  Bowles,  a  white  man,  and  whose 
temporary  success  affords  a  further  illustnition  of  the  extent  of  that 
influence  to  which  we  allude. 

The  white  men  who  settled  among  the  southern  tribes  of  the 
United  States,  were  traders,  whose  business  was  a  trafl'ic  in  furs 
and  merchandise;  but  who  l)ecame  attached  to  the  savage  mode  of 
life,  and  becoming  stationary  in  the  wilderness,  adopted  the  dress 
and  many  of  the  habits  of  the  Indians,  while  they  also  devoted 
themselves,  in  some  deirree,  to  agricultural  and  pastoral  pursuits. 
They  introduced  the  domestic  animals,  which  running  at  large  in 
the  re-     ',  as  the  luxuriant   wild   pastures  are  called,   multiplied 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


601 


rapidly,  with  but  little  care  or  expense  to  the  owners,  who  soon 
became  the  proprietors  of  large  droves  of  horses,  cattle,  and  swine. 
These  alone,  in  the  sylvan  state  in  which  they  lived,  constituted 
wealth,  and  gave  importance.  They  erected  large  and  comfortable 
houses,  and  became  surrounded  with  the  comforts  of  life.  Livincr 
on  the  l)orders  of  tlie  slave  States,  they  were  enabled  to  purchase 
and  hold  slaves,  who  were  employed  in  agriculture,  in  the  cultiva- 
tion chiefly  of  corn.  Having  all  the  means  of  living  in  great  abun- 
dance, they  lived  rudely,  but  plentifully,  and  practised  a  generous 
hospitality.  Their  women,  elevated  from  a  wretched  servitude,  to 
Ije  the  coni])anions  of  their  liu.sbands,  relieved  from  the  drudgery 
of  cultivation,  and  the  toil  of  following  the  hunter  in  the  chase,  and 
surrounded  by  the  conveniences  and  luxuries  of  houses,  furniture, 
and  domestic  servant.s,  experienced  a  rapid  improvement  in  cha- 
racter. The  domestic  virtues  were  developed,  and  the  kindly  affec- 
tions appropriate  to  the  sex,  were  expanded  so  luxuriantly,  that 
even  in  the  first  generation,  the  offspring  of  these  marriages  ex- 
hibited an  amelioration  of  character  which  left  little  of  the  original 
savage  peculiarity  perceptible. 

One  of  the  causes  of  the  partial  civilization  of  the  southern  In- 
dians, to  which  we  have  alluded,  is  pointed  out  in  an  admirable 
work,  by  one  of  the  most  learned  men  and  sagacious  statesmen  of 
our  country,  the  venerable  Mr.  Gallatin,  in  his  "  Synopsis  of  the 
Indian  Tribes,"  a  work  of  unsurpassed  research,  published  in  the 
transactions  of  the  "  American  Antiquarian  Society,"  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.  He  says,  "  The  only  well  ascertained  in.stance,  amono-  our 
own  Indians,  of  their  having,  at  least  in  part,  become  an  agricul- 
tural nation,  meaning  that  state  of  society  in  which  the  men  them- 
selves do  actually  perform  agricultiiral  labor,  is  that  of  the  Chero- 
kees.  And  it  is  in  proof  that  in  this  case,  also,  cultivation  was  at 
first  introduced  through  the  means  of  slavery.  In  their  predatory 
excursions  they  carried  away  slaves  from  Carolina.  These  were 
used  tn  work,  and  continued  to  be  thus  employed   by  their  new 


602 


AN    ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


masters.  The  advantages  derived  hy  the  owners  were  imme- 
diately perceived.  Either  in  war  or  peace,  slaves  of  the  African 
race  became  objects  of  desire ;  and  grailually,  assisted  by  the  efforts 
of  the  Government,  and  the  beneficial  influence  of  the  missionaries, 
some  among  those  Indians,  who  could  not  obtain  slaves,  were 
induced  to  work  for  themselves."  We  only  differ  from  this 
distinguished  writer  in  supposing  slavery  to  have  been  one  of  the 
causes,  instead  of  the  only  or  chief  cause,  of  the  partial  civilization 
of  the  southern  Indians. 

The  pastoral,  rather  than  the  agricultural  mode  of  life,  was  that 
■which  succeeded  the  barbarism  of  these  people — the  rearing  of 
large  herds  of  domestic  animals,  and  the  cultivation  of  grain  to  the 
extent  only  which  was  required  for  bread  and  provender.  The 
wealth  and  comfort  which  a  few  individuals  ac(piired  in  this  way, 
afforded  strong  allurements  to  others  to  follow  their  example ; 
while  the  growing  ol)stacles  to  war,  and  to  those  distant  and  great 
hunting  expeditions,  which  were  so  fruitful  of  adventure  and 
excitement,  were  every  day  rendering  the  people  more  indolent 
and  less  warlike,  and  leading  the  reflecting  men  of  the  tribes 
to  see  the  necessity  of  resorting  to  agricultirVe.  "  The  rapid  decay 
and  extinction  of  many  other  tribes  was  not  unknown  to  them. 
The  melancholy  truths  were  admitted,  which  pointed  out  the 
superiority  of  the  whites,  and  the  fatal  results  which  invariably 
followed  the  contact  of  the  two  races.  It  was  evident  tliat  the 
civilized  and  savage  man  could  not  live  together,  and  that  the 
latter  would  be  continually  encroached  upon  and  crushed  by  the 
former.  There  was  but  one  way  in  which  this  fate  could  be 
avoided,  and  that  was,  to  cease  to  be  savages.  The  many  could 
not  perceive  the  correctness  of  this  conclusion,  or  received  it  with  a 
disrelish  which  closed  their  minds  against  it;  but  the  better  class 
of  intellects  saw  it,  and  prepared  with  more  or  less  cordiality  to 
obey  the  law  of  their  destiny. 

The  missionaries  found  the  C'herokees  thus  prepared  to  receive 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


503 


tli;  m  favorably.  Tli  white  men  and  their  descendants,  and  ail 
who  iiad  eeascd  to  sul)sist  by  hunting,  gladly  received  the  school- 
master, and  offered  every  facility  to  the  introduction  of  that  edu- 
cation and  those  arts  which  would  enlighten  and  elevate  their 
ciiildren.  These  formed,  it  is  true,  a  small  party,  and  opposed  to 
them,  on  this  subject,  stood  the  main  i)ody  of  the  unreclaimed 
natives,  united  into  a  firm  phalanx  by  their  hereditary  dislike  of 
the  whites,  and  the  tbrce  of  inbred  prejudices.  On  both  sidwS  were 
arravcd  men  of  influence:  on  the  one  hand  were  the  chiefs  dis- 
tinginslied  in  war,  and  elociuent  in  council,  who  exhibited  their 
wounds,  and  appealed  to  the  recollection  of  the  many  wrongs 
inflicted  on  their  people  by  the  whites;  on  the  other  were  the 
wealthy,  the  civilized  and  partly  civilized,  and  some  who  possessed 
hereditary  and  personal  popularity.  On  the  one  side  were  num- 
bers, on  the  other  property  and  intelligence,  together  with  the 
influence  of  the  American  Government.  Thus  commenced  those 
parties,  so  little  understood  by  the  American  people,  which  for  so 
many  years  divided  these  unfortunate  tribes,  and  in  which,  un- 
happily for  the  cause  of  humanity,  the  missionaries  themselves 
became  involved.  The  good  work,  however,  went  on  with  unex- 
am|)lcd  success;  schools  were  estal)lished  in  which  the  chihlren  of 
mixed  blood  generally,  and  some  from  among  the  natives,  were 
taught,  and  numbers  were  converted  to  the  Gospel,  and  gave  good 
evidence  of  sincere  piety. 

The  invention  of  the  Cherokee  alphabet,  by  a  native,  to  which 
we  shall  allude  more  at  large  in  another  place,  was  a  fortuitous 
incident,  a  Providential  element  in  this  revolution,  which  exerted 
great  influence.  It  gave  them  a  written  language,  and  greatly 
enlarged  the  means  of  addressing  their  minds,  while  it  furnished 
an  appeal  to  their  pride,  and  afforded  the  teacher  a  medium  through 
which  he  approached  them,  with  less  violence  to  their  established 
prejudices,  than  if  the  only  mode  of  teaching  had  been  through  a 
foreign  tongue. 


504 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


The  iiltt'inpt  to  est!il)lish  an  iiulcpt'iulrnt  governmont  among  tlie 
Chcrokccs  was  not  williout  its  good  cfffct.  Tlio  plan  was  con- 
ceived and  advocated  by  tlie  men  of  mixed  blood,  by  those  who 
liad  been  taught  to  read  and  write,  who  liad  abandoned  the  savage 
life,  and  sonic  of  whom  had  embraced  the  doctrines  of  Christianity. 
They  sought  earnestly  the  m(;ans  of  information,  in  regard  to  the 
science  of  government,  and  its  practical  forms  in  the  United  States; 
and  in  the  endeavor  to  introduce  this  revolution  among  their  people 
it  became  necessary  to  discuss  the  principles  of  free  government, 
and  to  point  out  the  advantages  of  the  civilized  over  the  savage 
state.  They  became  thus  the  most  potent  missionaries  of  civiliza- 
tion. Councils  were  held  in  which  the  proposed  reforms  were 
discussed  by  the  ablest  men,  and  the  best  orators,  who  explained 
many  of  the  abstract  principles  of  political  science,  while  they  con- 
trasted the  degraded  coiu'ition  of  the  savage  with  the  power,  the 
comforts,  the  security,  and  the  intelligence  of  the  civilized  man. 
Thev  were  opposed  by  influential  and  elorpicnt  chiefs,  who  ap- 
pealed to  the  prejudices  of  the  people,  and  indignantly  spurned  at 
every  attempt  to  change  the  ancient  customs  of  the  nation.  The 
whole  ground  was  canvassed  with  zeal  and  ability,  the  public 
mind  was  agitated  and  awakened  to  new  subjects  for  thought  and 
conA'crsation,  and  all  this  could  not  be  done  without  a  general  and 
gradual  dissemination  of  intelligence.  The  missionaries  and  the 
agents  of  the  Ihiitec  States,  threw  all  their  influence  into  tlie  scale 
of  civilization,  and  those  who  could  not  ofllicially  countenance  the 
scheme  of  framing  an  independent  government,  within  the  limits 
of  Georgia,  did  what  they  could  to  urge  the  moral  reformation 
which  accomjianied  that  movement.  The  party  opposed  to  re- 
formation were  compelled  reluctantly  to  make  concessions;  laws 
were  made  for  the  protection  of  life  and  property ;  patroles  were 
established  to  scour  the  country,  to  arrest  offenders,  and  to  preserve 
the  peace ;  the  schools  were  taken  under  the  public  protection,  and 
the  germs  of  a  regular  government  widely  scattered.     In  the  mean 


THE   NORTH    AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


01),-, 


while  sucVi  men  as  Jolia  Tloss,  Elias  Uonliiiot,  Jolin  Hi(lj|e,  and 
others,  wliose  minds  had  been  eidarjfed  by  ediuution  and  travel, 
labored  assiduously  with  the  pen,  and  by  their  personal  influence, 
not  only  to  disseminate  information  amon}^  their  countrymen,  but 
to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  American  Oovernrnent  and  people. 
Tiic  most  prominent  man  of  this  movement  was  JOHN  ROSS, 
a  Cherokee  of  the  mixed  l)lood,  wliose  portrait  is  contained  in  this 
work,  and  who  is  jmw  at  the  head  of  the  confederated  Indian 
nation  west  of  the  Mississippi.  We  regret  that  the  want  of  ma- 
terials for  a  separate  memoir  of  this  chief  has  prevented  us  from 
giving  him  the  place,  in  the  biographical  jiortion  of  our  work,  to 
which  his  eminent  services  and  conspicuous  position  entitle  him. 
But  this  has  been  prevented  by  the  difficulty  of  procuring  authen- 
tic information,  and  by  our  reluctance  to  enter  in  detail  upon  a  life 
so  eventful  and  important,  without  such  full  and  accurate  materials 
as  would  enable  us  to  do  justice  as  well  to  him  as  to  the  numerous 
friends  and  enemies  who  have  acted  with  and  against  him.  We 
must  speak  of  him  in  general  terms  as  the  leader  of  his  people  in 
their  exodus  from  the  land  of  their  nativity  to  a  new  country,  and 
from  the  savage  state  to  that  of  civilization.  Through  the  whole 
of  this  interesting  and  exciting  movement  he  has  been  an  efficient 
actor,  and  of  some  of  the  moat  important  events  the  prime  mover. 
He  has  no  fame  as  a  warrior,  nor  do  we  know  that  he  has  ever 
been  in  the  field.  His  talents  are  those  of  the  civilian.  Plain  and 
unassuming  in  his  appearance,  of  calm  and  quiet  deportment,  he  is 
a  man  of  great  sagacity  and  of  untiring  energy.  Assiduous  in  the 
pursuit  of  his  objects,  he  has  spent  many  of  his  winters  at  Wash- 
ington, where  he  was  well  known  to  all  the  leading  statesmciu,  and 
to  the  philanthropists  who  concern  themselves  about  the  affairs  of 
the  neglected  Aborigines,  while  the  remainder  of  his  time  has  been 
actively  employed  among  his  own  people.  So  far  as  we  can  judge 
of  his  character  by  his  acts,  we  believe  him  to  be  an  able  man,  who 
has  done  good  service  for  his  people. 

61 


606 


AN    KSSAY    ON   TIIF-:   lUSTOKY   OF 


Tt  could  liJirdly  Ix^  expected  that  a  le.uler  niul  rliief  of  such 
liromincncc  would  escape  the  missives  of  those  with  whom  ho 
difrercd.  Many  and  varied  as  had  heen  the  excitements  prior  to 
the  conclusion  of  the  treaty  of  New  Echota,  of  29th  Deceiidxr. 
ls3r),  they  hore  no  comparison  to  those  which  grew  out  of  this 
transai'tion.  The  party  to  this  treaty,  which  at  no  time,  it  is  1k'- 
liiued,  exceeded  a  hundred  Indians,  was  headed  by  Major  Itidsj:e, 
hiii  son  John,  aud  Elias  Boudinot ;  and  a;fainst  them  was  the  entire 
remainder  of  the  Cherokee  nation,  at  the  head  of  which  was  John 
Hoss.  These  excitements  would  have  been  of  short  duration,  had 
not  the  Ridge  party  been  recognized  and  sustained  by  the  United 
States  Government.  We  have  no  desire  to  intrmluee  into  this 
work  the  elements,  even,  much  less  the  details  of  this  controvers'-, 
or,  if  wc  had,  the  entire  history  would  Ik;  too  voluminous  for  tins 
work.*  We  cannot  refrain,  however,  from  introducing  in  this 
place,  because  it  illustrates  not  only  the  ability  of  Ross  as  a  w  ritcr, 
but  the  nature  and  grounds  of  the  controversy  itself,  the  follovv  iiiLi 
touching  remonstrance,  in  the  form  of  a  memorial,  addressi-d  liv 
Ross  and  those  whom  the  Cherokees  had  associated  witii  him  for 
the  purpose, — "To  the  honorable,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives of  the  United  States  of  America."  This  memorial  wns 
transmitted  from  Red  Clay  comicil  ground,  Cherokee  Nation,  I'last, 
and  bears  date  ^  jtembcr  28,  183(5;  it  is  signed  by  \,-2io  male 
adults.     After  f.  lew  preliminary  remarks  the  memorial  proceeds : 

"By  the  stipulations  of  this  inslrumeut,  (llu;  treaty  of  \eu 
Echota,)  we  are  despoiled  of  our  private  possessions,  the  iiidc- 
feasible  property  of  individuals.  We  are  stripped  of  every  attr'- 
bute  of  freedom  and  eligibility  for  legal  self-tlefence.  Our  propertv 
may  be  plundered  before  our  eyes.  Violence  may  be  committed 
on  our  persons;  eveu  our  lives  may  be  taken  away  and  there  is 

•  For  detailed  information,  see  Doc.  No.  286,  House  of  Reps.,  24lh  Con- 
gress, lirst  Session. 


THE  NORTH   A.MKUICAN   INDIANS. 


o07 


none  to  regard  our  (•()m[)laiiits.  Wf  an^  donationuli/nl !  W(!  aro 
(lisfraiiclii'/od  !  Wo  arc  dcprivfd  of  irKMiilKMsliip  in  the  Iniinaii 
family!  Wo  have  ncitlicr  land,  nor  home,  nor  rcsting-phuu',  that 
can  be  oalli-d  our  own.  And  ihis  is  tH'cctod  by  the  provisions  of  a 
compact  which  assumes  the  vcncrahd,  the  saored  appellation  of 
tn!;ity.  We  aro  ovorwhelinoil !  Our  hearts  are  siek(!ned  !  Our 
utterance  is  paralyzed,  when  we  nllect  on  the  condition  in  which 
we  are  placed  by  the  audacious  practices  of  unprincipled  men; 
who  have  manajfod  their  stratitjems  with  so  much  dexterity  as  to 
impose  on  thi;  (iovernmcnt  of  the  United  Stales,  in  the  face  of  our 
earnest,  solemn,  and  reiterated  protestations. 

"The  instrument  in  question  is  not  the  act  of  our  nation.  We 
are  not  parties  to  its  covenants.  It  has  not  received  the  sanction 
of  our  people.  The  makers  of  it  sustain  no  office  or  appointment 
in  our  nation,  under  the  desi<^nation  of  chiefs,  head-men,  or  any 
other  title,  by  which  they  hold  or  could  acquire  authority  to 
assume  the  reins  of  government,  and  to  make  bargain  and  sale  of 
our  rights,  our  possessions,  and  our  conunon  country.  And  we  are 
constrained  solemnly  to  declare,  that  we  cannot  but  contemplate  the 
enforcement  of  the  stipulations  of  this  instrument  an  us,  against  our 
consent,  as  an  act  of  inju.stice  and  oppression,  which  we  arc  well 
persuaded  can  never,  knowingly,  be  countenanced  by  the  Govern- 
ment and  people  of  the  United  States ;  nor  can  we  believe  it  to  be 
the  design  of  those  honorable  and  high-minded  individuals,  who 
stand  at  the  head  of  the  Government,  to  bind  a  whole  nation  by  the 
acts  of  a  few  unDuthorized  individuals.  And  therefore,  we,  the 
parties  to  be  affected  by  the  result,  appeal  with  confidence  to  the 
justice,  the  magnanimity,  the  compassion  of  your  honorable  Iwdies, 
against  the  enforcement  on  us  of  the  provisions  of  a  compact,  in  the 
formation  of  which  we  have  had  no  agency.  In  truth,  our  cause 
is  your  own.  It  is  the  cause  of  liberty  and  of  justice.  It  is  based 
on  your  own  principles,  which  we  have  learned  from  yourselves ! 
for  we  have  gloried  to  count  your  Washington,  and  your  Jefferson. 


503 


AN   ESSAY  ON  THE   HISTORY   OF 


our  great  teachers.  AVo  Imve  read  their  cominunicalioiis  to  us 
with  veneration.  We  have  practised  tlieir  precepts  with  success. 
iVnd  the  result  is  manifest.  The  wilderness  of  forest  has  given 
place  to  comfortable  dwellings  and  cultivated  field.s — stocked  with 
the  various  domestic  animals.  Mental  culture,  industrious  habits, 
and  domestic  enjoyments  have  succeeded  the  rudeness  of  the 
savage  state.  We  have  learned  your  religion  also.  We  have  read 
your  sacred  books.  Hundreds  of  our  people  have  embraced  their 
doctrines,  practised  the  virtues  they  teach,  cherished  the  hopes 
tiiey  awaken,  and  rejoiced  in  the  consolations  which  they  afTord. 
To  the  spirit  of  your  institutions  and  your  religion  which  has  been 
iml)ihed  b}^  our  conununity,  is  niaiid}'  to  be  ascribed  that  patient 
eiid'.aancc  which  has  characterized  tlie  conduct  of  our  people  under 
the  lacerations  of  tlieir  keenest  woes.  For  as^^uredly,  we  are  not 
ignorant  of  our  condition  :  we  are  not  insensible  to  our  .sufferings. 
We  feel  them!  We  groan  under  their  pressure!  And  anticipa- 
tion crowds  our  brei>,sts  with  sorrows  yet  to  come.  W^e  are,  indeed, 
an  adhctcd  people!  Our  s|)irits  arc  s\ibdued  !  Despair  has  well 
nigh  .seized  upon  our  energies!  But  we  speak  to  the  representa- 
tives of  a  Christian  country  ;  the  friends  of  justice  ;  the  patrons  of 
the  oppressed.  And  our  hc-es  revive,  and  our  prospects  brighten, 
as  we  indulge  the  thought.  On  your  sentence  our  fate  is  sus- 
j)ended.  Prosperity  or  desolation  depends  on  your  word.  To  you, 
tlierefore,  we  look!  Before  your  august  assembly  we  jiresent  our- 
selvc"*,  in  the  attitude  of  deprecation  and  of  entreat}-.  On  your  kind- 
ness, on  your  humanity,  on  your  compassion,  on  your  benevolence, 
we  rest  our  hopes.     To  you  we  ail(h"ess  our  reiterated  prayers. 

"  SPARE  OUR  PEOPLE  !  Spare  the  wreck  of  our  pros- 
perity!  Let  not  our  deserted  homes  become  the  monuments  of 
nesohifions!  But  we  forbear!  We  suppress  the  agonies  which 
wring  our  hearts,  when  we  look  at  our  wives,  our  children,  and 
cur  venerable  sires!     We  restrain  our  forebodings  of  anguish  and 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


509 


distress,  of  misorv  and  devastation  and  death  which  must  bo  the 
attendants  on  the  execution  of  this  ruinous  compact." 

The  foregoing  sentiments  were  afterwards,  viz :  30th  of  Sejjtem- 
ber,  reiterated,  in  a  hotter  to  General  Wool,  then  commanding 
United  States  troops  in  the  Cherokee  nation,  to  "hich  the  General 
thus  replied : 

"Head  Quarters  Army  E.  T.  &  C.  N. 
Fort  Cass,  Novcmher  3,  1836. 

"I  am  instructed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  through 
the  War  Department,  to  make  known  to  John  Ross,  and  all  others 
whom  it  may  concern,  that  it  is  his  determination  to  have  the  lato 
treaty,  entered  into  between  the  United  States  and  the  Cherokee 
people,  and  ratified  by  the  Senate  the  25th  of  May,  1836,  religiously 
fulfilled  in  all  its  parts,  terms,  and  conditions,  within  the  period 
pro:;oribed ;  and  that  no  delegation  which  may  be  sent  to  Wash- 
ington, .vitii  a  view  to  obtain  new  terms,  or  a  modification  of  those 
of  the  exi.iting  treaty,  will  be  received  or  recognized,  nor  will  any 
intercourse  be  had  with  them,  directly  or  indirectly,  orally,  or  in 
writing;  and  \\'M  the  President  regards  the  proceedings  of  Mr. 
Ross  and  his  associates  in  the  late  council  held  at  Red  Clay,  as  in 
direct  contravention  of  the  ])lighted  faith  of  their  jieople,  and  a 
repetition  of  them  will  be  considered  as  indicative  of  a  design  to 
prevent  the  execution  of  the  treaty,  even  at  the  hazard  of  actual 
hostilities,  and  they  will  be  promptly  repressed,"  &c. 

Thus  circumstanced,  it  was  thought  by  the  Ross  party  that  their 
brethren  on  the  west  of  the  Mississippi,  who  had  emigrated  under 
the  treaties  of  1817  and  1819,  might  take  an  interest  in  this  ques- 
tion; and  that  probably  if  they  should  view  the  question  in  the 
light  they  did,  and  so  express  themselves,  the  Government  at 
Washington  might  oe  induced  to  listen  to  them.  Whereupon  a 
deputation  was  sjnt  to  lay  the  subject  of  the  existing  embarrass- 
ments before  tlie  councils  of  the  western  Cherokees.     A  council 


510 


AN  ESSAY  ON   TIIi:   HISTORY  OF 


was  coiivcnefl,  and  tlieir  l)rctlir('n  from  tlie  cast  showed  the 
authority  under  wliich  tliey  had  conio,  and  made  known  the  ohjecl 
of  their  visit.  Among  the  resolutions  adopted  on  the  occasion  was 
the  following: — "The  course  adopted  by  the  general  council  of  the 
Cherokee  nation,  east,  in  regard  to  the  instrument  aforesaid,  (the 
treaty  of  New  Echota,)  is  hereby  approved  ;  and  inasmuch  as  the 
said  instrument  is  equally  objectionable  to  us,  and  will,  in  its 
enforcement,  also  affect  our  best  interests  and  happiness — Resolved, 
&.C.,  that  a  delegation  be.  and  hereby  are  appointed  tf)  represent  the 
Cherokee  nation,  west,  before  tlie  Government  of  the  United  States, 
and  to  co-operate  with  the  delegation  east  of  the  Mississippi,  in 
their  e.vertions  to  procure  the  rescinding  of  the  aforesaid  instru- 
ment; and  also  with  full  powers  to  unite  with  the  delegation 
aforesaid,  in  any  treaty  arrangement  which  they  may  enter  into 
with  the  Government  of  the  United  States  for  the  final  adjustment 
of  the  Cherokee  difficulties,  and  to  promote  the  atlvancement  of  the 
best  interests  and  happiness  of  the  whole  Cherokee  people,  and  to 
(1  all  things  touching  the  affairs  of  the  Cherokees  west,  for  their 
welfare."  We  will  let  Mr.  Ross  speak  in  his  own  language  in 
regard  1o  this  joint  mission.  We  copy  from  a  letter  addressed  by 
him  to  Job  R.  Tyson,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia. 

"We  departed  with  the  members  apjrointed  to  serve  upon  this 
delegation,  but  the  severity  of  the  winter,  and  the  o!)struction  of 
our  route  by  the  ice  in  the  rivers,  prevented  our  arrival  at  Wash- 
ington until  the  9th  February,  1837,  within  a  month  of  the  close 
of  Genr  til  Jackson's  presidency.  We  attempted  to  obtain  access 
to  the  President,  but  were  denied  an  official  interview  with  the 
President  or  his  secretary.  We  then  memorialized  the  Senate, 
which  memorial  was  presented,  but  owing  to  the  press  of  business 
no  opportimity  occurred  for  presenting  that  which  we  addressed  to 
the  ITonsc.  In  this  memorial  was  exhibited  an  account  of  the 
treatment  we  had  experienced,  and  urged  our  claims  in  the  most 
earnest  and  respectful  manner.     We  selected  what  we  considered 


THE   NORTH  AMERICAN    INDIANS. 


511 


tlie  stronr>L..  aririiiiuMits  ill  svipiiort  of  our  ai)plication.  We  ad- 
verted  to  the  extraordinary  and  inexplicable  change  which  had 
taken  place  in  the  nnode  of  receiving  us  and  our  appeals.  Among 
other  things,  we  said, — '  We  have  asked,  and  we  will  reiterate  the 
question — how  have  we  offended  ?  Show  us  in  what  manner  we 
have,  however  unwittingly,  inflicted  upon  you  a  wrong,  you  shall 
yourselves  be  the  judges  of  the  extent  and  manner  of  compensation  ; 
show  us  the  offence  which  has  awakened  your  feelings  of  justice 
again.t  us,  and  we  will  submit  to  tliat  measure  of  punishment 
which  you  shall  tell  us  we  have  merited.  We  cannot  bring  to  our 
recollection  anr  thing  we  have  done,  or  any  thing  we  have  omitted, 
calculo'.'  !  to      .  ikfiu  your  resentment  against  us.' 

"  All,  ..jw<  \  cr,  was  vain.  It  may  be  ob.-orved  that  our  r.ppeal  to 
the  Senate  was  i-ecessarily  presented  so  l:ite  in  the  session  that  we 
could  not  have  been  fairly  heard,  whatever  disposition  may  have 
existed  in  that  honorable  body  to  give  their  full  attention  to  our  case. 

"On  the  4th  March,  (continues  Mr.  Ross,)  .Mr.  Van  Burcn 
assumed  the  presidential  cliair.  On  the  10th  of  March  we  ad- 
dressed the  new  President,  stating  to  him  fully  our  position  and 
wi.shes,  revieAving  the  circumstances  which  had  occurred,  and  the 
hopes  we  entertained  of  receiving  redress  at  his  hands.  We 
entreated  the  President  to  examine  for  himself  into  the  ground 
upon  which  we  rested  our  charge  ;  that  the  document  called  a 
treaty  was  fraudulent,  ;  .."l  equally  an  irnposition  upon  the  United 
States  and  upon  ou.'-.  '  .■':.  We  a.sked — 'Will  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  ^-ww  il,e  nght  to  enforce  a  contract,  thus  as- 
sailed, I)v  the  other  noi  lul  party  to  it?  Will  tiiey  refuse  to 
examine  into  charges  of  si;.  i.  grave  imj)ort?  Will  they  act  in 
matters  so  momentous,  involving  conse(|uences  so  awful,  without 
inquiry?'  Such  an  in([uiry  we  ciniestly  courted,  saying  to  tin; 
Presid'  .a,-  -'We  do  not  arrogate  to  t)urselves  so  high  a  standing  in 
your  «..,.  lion  as  to  authorize  us  to  ask  that  yoti  will  rely  'lU- 
plicitly  upon  our  statements;  hut  we  have  deceived  ourselves  most 


512 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


fiQ^rcgiously,  if  we  have  not  presented  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Government  sufficient  grounds  to  induce  hesitation  and  inquir}'. 
You  have  at  )our  command  hundreds  of  individuals,  to  whom  you 
may  confide  the  duty  of  making  the  investigation  which  we  soUcit. 
Select  such  as  you  can  implicitly  believe,  associate  with  them  but 
a  single  individual  to  be  approved  by  uS;  to  direct  to  the  sources  of 
information,  and  if  we  fail  to  establish  the  truth  of  our  allegations, 
we  shall  no  longer  ask  you  to  delay  exercising  your  power  in  the 
enforcement  of  your  rights.  Should  it,  how  '.'•  itpnear  from  such 
investigation  that  this  instrument  (the  New  i  treaty)  has 

been  made  without  authority,  that  it  meets  with  U:  almost  unani- 
mous reprobation  of  our  nation,  that  you  have  been  deceived  by 
false  information,  we  cannot,  and  we  will  not  believe,  that  under  its 
color,  and  under  the  sanction  of  those  principles  of  justice  which 
impose  an  obligation  faithfully  to  perform  our  contracts  and  oui 
promises,  we  shall  be  forced  to  submit  to  its  iniquitous  provisions.'  " 
Mr.  Ross  then  states,  under  three  several  heads,  the  propositions 
made  by  the  delegation  to  the  Gover.iment.  The  first  was  that 
the  Presideiit  would  enter  into  a  negotiation  with  them,  as  the 
duly  authorized  and  regularly  accredited  representatives  of  the 
Cherokees. 

Second,  That  a  full  and  thorough  examination  be  instituted  into 
the  New  Echota  treaty, — to  see  if  anj^  of  the  forms  long  recognized 
by  the  United  States  had  been  regarded  in  making  it, — or, 

Third,  That  the  instrument  itself  be  submitted  to  tlic  whole 
Cherokee  nation,  for  its  admission  or  rejection.  "  To  this  proposi- 
tion," proceeds  Mr.  Ross,  "we  received  for  answer  from  Mr. 
Poinsett,  dated  March  24th,-— That  the  President  regarded  him- 
self as  bound  to  carry  into  effect  all  the  stipulations  of  the  docu- 
ment in  question,  because  it  had  been  ratified  according  to  the 
forms  prescribed  b}'  the  Constitution,  under  a  full  knowledge  of 
the  conditions  now  urged  against  it,  and  must,  therefore,  be  con- 
sidered as  the  supreme  law  of  the  land.    The  two  other  j)ro])ositions 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


513 


could  not,  therefore,  be  entertained.  We  were  promised  a  candid 
examination  of  any  mefisure  we  should  suggest,  if  not  inconsistent 
with,  or  in  contravention  of,  the  determination  to  enforce  the  treaty 
against  which  we  had  protested. 

"It  is  due  to  Mr.  Secretary  Poinsett  to  say,  that  in  accordance 
with  his  professions,  every  courtesy  was  extended  to  us  in  our 
intercourse  with  him." 

Mr.  Ross  then  proceeds  to  examine  the  objections  raised  by  the 
authorities  at  Washington.  In  justice  to  him,  we  continue  to  quote 
his  words. 

"It  may  not  be  amiss,  however,  at  this  time,  to  make  one  or  two 
okservations  upon  the  grounds  taken  by  the  Government,  and  upon 
which  it  appears  to  have  finally  resolved  to  act. 

"In  the  first  place  it  appears  to  us  an  extraordinary  ground,  that 
because  a  treaty  has  actually  been  made,  which  the  one  party 
deems  to  be  of  perfect  obligation  upon  both,  that,  therefore,  no 
further  official  intercourse  shall  take  place  between  the  parties.  It 
is  obvious  that  the  instrument  in  question  is  ambiguous,  and  of 
doubtful  construction,  and  it  is  well  known  that  objections  have 
been  made  to  it  on  behalf  of  the  Western  Cherokees,  who  think, 
and  we  think  justly,  that  it  most  seriously  impairs  their  rights, 
although  we  believe  it  has  not  yet  been  assumed  that  they  are 
bound  by  its  provisions,  having  not,  thus  far,  at  least,  been  con- 
sidered as  parlies  to  it.  These  are  questions  still  open  between  the 
parties,  which,  under  any  view  of  the  case,  it  appears  to  us,  can 
only  be  settled  by  negotiation  and  further  treaty. 

"Secondly,  It  strikes  us  as  ecpially  extraordinary,  that  because 
our  avowed  object  was  to  make  a  treaty  which  should  annul  the 
provisions  of  this  spurious  compact,  no  negotiations  would  be 
opened  with  us.  Had  such  a  ground  ever  been  presumed  to 
present  an  obstacle  to  negotiations,  why  was  it  not  discovered  when 
the  treaty  of  Holstein,  and  every  succeeding  treaty  ever  fovicd 
with  us,  was  under  consideration  .'  The  stij)ulations  of  each  and 
65 


614 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE  HISTOJIY  OF 


every  of  them  abrogate  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  those  which 
preceded  it.  How  insuperably  might  it  have  been  urged  against 
the  pretended  treaty  itself,  which  professes  to  annul  and  abrogate 
pre-existing  treaties,  to  anniliilate  public  rights  held  under  its 
sanction. 

"  Thirdly,  The  idea  that  the  ratification  of  the  Senate,  under  the 
circumstances,  had  at  all  impaired  the  rights  of  either  party,  is 
e([ually  incomprehensible.  It  was  the  act  of  one  party  alone.  It 
was  an  act  re(|uired  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  to 
give  legal  effect  to  a  compact,  which,  until  that  was  consummated, 
was  inchoate  and  imperfect.  But  if  no  treaty  had  in  fact  ever  been 
signed,  if  the  instrument  was  in  truth  fraudulent  or  unauthorized, 
wo  are  not  aware  that  the  action  of  the  Senate  could  make  that 
vulid  w  liich  before  was  void,  could  impose  any  obligation  upon  us 
who  were  not  previously  bound.  Indeed,  if  this  doctrine  be  true, 
to  the  extent  it  lias  been  pressed,  the  Cherokee  nation,  or  even 
iheir  self-constituted  re[)rescntatives,  need  never  have  teen  con- 
sulted, or  their  signatures  obtained.  The  President  himself  might, 
of  his  own  mere  motion,  dictate  the  terms  of  a  treaty  to  the  Senate, 
and  by  the  ratification  of  that  body  it  becomes  binding  Uj)on  all 
who  never  saw  or  assented  to  it. 

"^■.''/■fh,  But  this  doctrine,  which  we  candidly  confess  to  be 
beyonci  our  comprehension,  does  not  seem,  to  our  feeble  intellects, 
to  liave  any  betiring  uj)on  the  (pieslion.  For  sure!}',  if  the  Presi- 
dent and  Senate  are  empowi.'red  to  negotiate!  and  make  our  treaties 
for  us,  without  "our  assent  or  knowledge,  it  does  not  seem  very 
clear,  how  this  power,  in  this  |)articul;ir  so  unlimited,  can  be  pre- 
vented from  at  least  listening  to  our  objections,  and  at  their  good 
pleasure  substituting  one  less  offensive,  if  they  please." 

Fifth,  Under  this  head  Mr  Ross  refers  to  the  act  of  the  United 
States  in  annulling  tlu;  Creek  treaty  made  in  l-'ebriiary,  1825,  at 
the  Indian  Springs,  in  which  lie  takes  occaisioii  to  say,  that  if  a  like 
course  hiid  been  taken  in  another,  meaning  the  treaty  of  Payne's 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


515 


Landing,  with  the  Seminoles,  and  against  which  the  body  of  the 
tribe  protested,  the  blood  and  treasure  expended  in  Florida  would 
have  been  saved. 

Mr.  Ross  proceeds : — "  This  last  treaty,  which  may  be  found  in 
the  seventh  volume  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  page  782,  con- 
tains this  remarkable  preamble : 

"  Whereas  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  the  Indian  Springs,  on  the 
12th  day  of  February  last  (1825,)  between  commissioners  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  and  a  portion  of  the  Creek  nation,  by 
which  an  extensive  district  of  country  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  : — And  whereas,  a  great  majority  of  the  chiefs  and  warriors 
of  the  said  nation  have  protested  against  the  execution  of  the  said 
treaty,  and  have  represented  that  the  same  was  signed,  on  their 
part,  by  persons  having  no  sufficient  authority  to  form  treaties,  or 
to  make  cessions,  and  that  the  stipulations  in  said  treaty  are  there- 
fore wholly  void  : — 

"And  whereas  the  United  States  are  unwilling  that  difficulties 
sliould  exist  in  the  said  nation,  which  may  eventually  lead  to  an 
intestine  war,  and  are  still  more  unwilling  that  any  cessions  of 
land  should  be  made  to  them  unless  with  the  fair  uiiderstandintr 
and  full  assent  of  the  tribe  making  such  cession,  and  for  a  just  and 
adequate  consideration,  it  being  the  policy  of  the  United  States  in 
all  their  intercourse  with  the  Indians  to  treat  them  justly  and 
liberally,  as  becomes  the  relative  situation  of  the  parties." 

Such  was  the  preamble  of  the  treaty  of  January  24th,  1826 :  the 
first  article  of  which  declared  the  previous  treaty  to  be  "  null  and 
void  to  every  intent  and  purpose  whatever,  and  any  right  and 
claim  arising  from  the  same  isjiereby  cancelled  and  surrendered  " 

"  These  were  historical  facts  with  which  we  were  familiar,  and 
we  had  not  been  informed  vrhat  had  occured  since  that  period 
to  prevent  a  similar  action  under  circumstances  not  similar,  only 
because  the  case  more  imperatively  demanded  such  action.  We 
could  not  understand  why  th<?  Creeks  should  be  relieved  from  the 


51(1 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


bur  leii  of  an  unjust  and  illegal,  because  uiiauthorizt'd,  compact, 
and  we  should  be  held  to  one  even  more  destitute  of  any  semblance 
of  aiitliority.  We  could  not  understand  why,  if  President  Adams 
jjossossed  the  constitutional  power  to  negotiate  such  an  arrange- 
ment as  we  have  just  adverted  to,  how,  or  why,  President  Jaclison 
or  President  Van  Bnren  would  tran»»cend  their  legitimate  functions 
by  instituting  an  inquiry  into  the  truth  of  our  allegations,  and  hiy- 
iiig  the  rcsnlt  of  such  investigation  before  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.  Nor  could  we  comprehend  what  there  was  so  irre- 
gular or  improper  in  our  recpies*  ,  as  to  furnish  a  reason  for  debar- 
ring us  from  our  accustomed  official  intercourse  with  the  President, 
or  War  Department. 

"  You  will  perceive  that  our  only  object  has  been,  to  obtain  a  fair 
arrangement  upon  terms  which  our  nation  can  approve,  to  be 
negotiated  with  persons  whom  they  have  authorized  to  act  on 
our  behalf  Our  ol)ject  has  been  an  honest  one  and  sincerelv 
exjH'essed.  We  had  hoped  that  tlic  Goverinnent  of  the  Tinted 
States  would  listen  to  our  representations.  We  knew  that  they 
had  been  led  by  similar  false  suggestions  and  fraudulent  devices, 
into  the  expenditure  of  four  times  the  amount  of  money  in  attempt- 
ing to  settle  their  dilfercnces  with  the  Indians  by  force  of  arms, 
which  would  have  sufficed  to  accomplish  all  our  desires,  without 
exasperation  of  feeling,  and  without  bloodshed.  We  asked  that  an 
instrument  should  not  be  called  a  treaty  obligatory  upon  us,  to 
which  we  never  yielded,  directly  or  by  implication,  uny  assent. 
We  asked  if  we  were  to  be  driven  from  our  homes  and  our  native 
country,  we  should  not  be  denounced  as  treaty  breakers,  but  have 
at  least  the  consolation  of  beinof  recognized  as  the  unoffendintf, 
unresisting  Indian,  despoiled  of  his  property,  driven  from  his 
domestic  fireside,  exiled  from  his  home,  by  the  mere  dint  of 
superior  power.  W^e  ask  that  deeds  shall  be  called  by  their  right 
names. 

"  We  distinctly  disavow  all  thoughts,  all  desire,  to  gratify  any 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


517 


feelings  of  resentment.  That  posse.ssions  acquired  and  objects 
attained  by  unjust  and  unrighteous  means  will,  sooner  or  later, 
prove  a  curse  to  those  who  have  thus  sought  them,  is  a  truth 
we  have  been  taught  by  that  holy  religion  which  was  brought 
to  us  by  our  white  brethren.  Years,  nay  centuries  may  clap.se 
Ixjfore  the  punishment  may  follow  the  offence;  but  the  volume 
of  hi.story  and  the  sacred  Bible  assure  us  that  the  period  will 
certainly  arrive.  We  would  with  Christian  sympathy  labor  to 
avert  the  wrath  of  Heaven  from  the  United  States,  by  imploring 
your  Government  to  be  just.  The  first  of  your  ancestors  who 
visited,  as  strangers,  the  land  of  the  Indian,  professed  to  be  apostles 
of  Christ,  and  to  be  attracted  by  a  desire  to  extend  the  blessings  of 
His  religion  to  the  ignorant  native.  Thousands  among  you  still 
proclaim  the  same  noble  and  generous  interest  in  our  welfare; 
but  will  the  untutored  savage  believe  the  white  man's  professions, 
when  he  feels  that  by  his  practices  he  has  become  an  outcast  and 
an  exile?  Can  he  repose  with  confidence  in  the  declarations  of 
philanthropy  and  sincere  charity  when  he  sees  the  professors  of 
the  religion  which  he  is  invited  to  embrace  the  foremost  in  acts  of 
oppression  and  outrage  ? 

"  Most  sincerely  and  ardently  do  we  pray  that  the  noble  example 
of  William  Penn  may  be  more  generally  followed,  and  that  the  rich 
rewards  which  attended  his  exertions  may  be  showered  upon  the 
heads  of  those  who,  like  him,  never  outraged  the  rights,  or  despoiled 
the  property  of  the  Indian.  To  such,  among  their  highest  earthly 
comforts,  and  among  the  assurances  of  still  higher  enjoyments 
hereafter,  will  be  the  blessing  and  prayer  of  the  friendless  native. 
"  I  have  the  honor  to  bo,  sir, 

most  respectfully  your  ob't  servant, 

"JNO.  ROSS." 


We  have  considered  it  due  to  the  Cherokees,  in  this  afflicting 
crisis  of  their  affairs,  to  let  their  chief  be  heard. 


513 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


IIn[)pily  for  the  parties  the  removal  was  eflTectcil  witliont  an 
appeal  to  arms.  This  harmonious  result  was  produced  by  the 
parlies  agreeing  to  adopt  such  modifications  in  the  oflensive  instru- 
ment, as  to  make  it,  if  not  altogether  acceptable  to  the  Cherokees, 
yet  preferable  to  the  alternative  of  a  bloody  conflict,  and  perhaps 
their  extermination.  Omitting  any  reflections  of  our  own  upon  the 
means  adopted  to  carry  out  the  policy  of  removing  the  Cherokees, 
and  the  other  soiith  and  south-western  tribes  from  the  east  to  the 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  we  stop  long  enough  to  express  our  opinion 
that  their  present  position  is  better  adapted,  under  every  view 
which  we  hav3  been  al)le  to  take  of  the  subject,  to  their  advance- 
ment in  civilization,  in  the  arts,  and  in  religion,  than  was  their 
former  one,  on  this  side  the  Mississippi.  But  we  are  no  less 
sincere  in  our  belief  that  before  these  remnants  of  a  noble  race  can 
be  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  elements  essential  to  work  out  such 
a  change,  an  indispensable  one  must  be  superadded — and  that  is, 
the  element  of  equalitif  with  ourselves.  Their  right  in  the  soil  must 
l)e  made  indestructible,  and  their  relations  to  this  Union  must  be  so 
changed  as  to  bind  their  territory,  and  themselves,  to  our  Union, 
and  to  our  people,  by  precisely  the  same  ties  that  connect  Iowa,  or 
Ouisconsin  to  it,  includinj.'  the  same  constitutional  privilege  of  an 
ultimate  annexation  to  the  United  States,  as  a  member  of  the  con- 
federacy. Such  relations,  and  such  only,  it  is  our  firm  conviction, 
can  perpetuate  the  Indians  as  a  race,  and  produce  upon  their  future 
destiny  all  those  blessings  which  the  just  and  the  humane  have 
been  engaged  for  more  than  two  hundred  years,  but  in  vain,  in 
endeavoring  to  confer  upon  this  hapless  race.  And  unless  our 
present  relations  with  the  Indian  confederacy,  for  such  it  is  at 
present,  are  changed,  and  some  such  new  ones  arc  adojited  as  we 
have  glanced  at,  it  requires  no  very  great  foresight  to  see  that 
a  heavy  retribution  awaits  us,  in  the  longest,  most  costly,  and 
bloodiest  war,  that  has  ever  yet  afflicted  us. 

The  Seminoles,  after  a  long  and  bloody  conflict  with  us,  arismg 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


511) 


on  their  part  out  of  a  liko  causo  of  (liNcoiitoiit — viz:  iho  recognition 
of  a  treaty  hy  the  United  States,  wliicli  the  body  of  tiiat  tribe  assort 
they  had  no  agency  in  making,  and  to  tlie  terms  of  whieh  they 
refused  to  submit,  and  against  tlie  demand  for  their  acquiescence 
of  wliich  tliey  rebelled — have  also  gone  west,  and  now  form  an 
integral  partof  thi  Indian  territory  west  of  the  Mississipj)i. 

The  Creeks  had  previously  emigrated,  and  though  reluctantly, 
yet  without  resistance.  The  map  of  the  Indian  territory  wliich  is 
appended  to  this  work  will  point  out  the  location  of  their  present 
abode,  its  length,  breadth,  &c.,  and  number  of  Indians  within  it; 
as  will  another  map  the  positions  occupied  by  the  various  tribes  on 
tliis  side  the  Mississippi  jirior  to  their  removal. 

The  actual  condition  of  the  tribes  who  have  been  removed  to  the 
western  territory  is  in  the  highest  degree  flattering.  The  Super- 
intendent of  the  territory,  in  his  report  for  1837,  in  speaking  of  the 
Creeks  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Gibson,  says,  "  they  dwell  in  good 
comfortable  farm-houses,  have  fine  gardens,  orchards,  and  raise 
forty  to  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  corn  more  than  is  sulRcient 
for  their  own  consumption.  They  furni.sh  large  quantities  to  the 
commissariat  at  Fort  Gibson  annually,  and  contributed  greatlv  in 
supplying  the  late  emigrants.  They  raise  also  more  stock  than  is 
necessary  for  their  own  use,  and  carry  on  a  considerable  trade  with 
the  garrison,  in  grain,  stock,  vegetables,  poultry,  eggs,  fruit,  &c. 
There  are  several  traders  among  them  to  supply  their  wants,  which 
are  as  many  and  as  various  as  those  of  the  most  comfortable  livers 
of  our  own  citizen.s.  Two  of  these  traders  are  natives,  who  do 
considerable  business,  selling  eighteen  or  twenty  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  goods  annually."  Of  the  Cherokees  he  says,  "  tliev  are 
more  advanced  in  agriculture  than  the  other  tribes  of  the  super- 
intendency.  The  number  of  farms  in  this  nation  is  estimated 
at  between  ten  and  eleven  hundred.  T/iere  are  no  Cherokees  who 
folhrv  the  chase  fm- a  living;  the  nation  is  divided  into  farmers, 
traders,  stock-raisers,  and  laborers.     The  productions  of  the  farms 


520 


AN  ESSAY   ON   THE  HISTORY   OF 


,.*SW" 


fire  corn,  oats,  potatoes  of  both  kinds,  beans,  peas,  pumpkins,  and 
melons.  The  great  profit  of  a  Cherokee  farmer  is  from  his  corn, 
his  horses,  his  catth',  and  his  hogs.  Some  of  the  Cherokees  have 
taken  and  fulfiUed  contracts  tor  the  garrison  at  Fort  Gibson,  and 
for  subsisting  emigrant  Indians,  to  the  amount  of  forty  to  sixty 
thousand  dolhirs,  without  jjurchasiiig  any  article  except  in  the 
Indian  country." 

"They  have  several  valuable  salt  springs,  but  for  want  of  capital 
and  skill  they  arc  not  j)rofitable.  At  the  grand  Saline,  on  the 
llivcr  Neosho,  forty  miles  above  Fort  Gibson,  they  are  making 
eighty  bushels  of  excellent  salt  per  day,  for  five  days  in  the  week ; 
but  the  manufacture  is  carried  on  at  a  considerable  expense  for 
fuel,  labor,  hauling,  &;c." 

"  The  Choctaw  nation,  including  the  late  Chickasaw  emigrants, 
white  men  married  in  the  nation,  and  negroes,  number  abotit 
fifteen  thousand  It  affords  me  pleasure  to  say  that  this  nation 
is  .still  in  a  state  of  rapid  improvement.  They  almo.st  all  have 
given  up  the  chose  for  a  living,  and  are  engaged  principally  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  and  raising  stock.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  estimate  the  number  of  acres  or  farms  in  cultivation,  as  nearly 
all  have  fields  well  enclosed,  and  raise  corn,  potatoes,  peas, 
beans,  pumpkins,  melons,  and  those  settled  along  Red  River 
raise  large  quantities  of  cotton,  more  than  sufficient  for  their  own 
consumption." 

"  It  would  be  impossible  to  estimate  the  number  of  horses,  cattle, 
sheep,  and  hogs,  owned  in  the  nation.  The  country  is  so  well 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  stock,  and  so  prolific  has  been  the  in- 
crease that  they  have  furnished  large  quantities  to  the  Creek 
contractors,  without  apparently  diminishing  the  main  stock,  and 
they  assure  me  they  have  an  abundance  to  stock  the  Chickasaws, 
upon  their  arrival  at  their  new  homes." 

"There  are  six  native  traders,  all  of  wliom  appear  to  be  doing 
considerable  business;    and  as  the  natives  appear  to  be  turning 


THK  NORTH   AMKIUCAN  INDIANS. 


fi21 


Ihcir  atli'iitioii  to  llicso  |)iirsiiits,  tlicrc  will  soon  bo  riioiijrli  nntivn 
traders  in  tlic  nation  to  ho  ahlo  to  dispense  with  white  ones  alto- 
gether. There  are  several  native  mocihanies  who  have  h^arned 
their  trades  in  a  ref^ular  way,  some  of  whom  have  been  furnished 
by  the  Choctaw  academy.  There  arc  a  few  very  ingenious  men, 
wholly  self-taiifrht,  who  work  well  in  wood  and  iron,  make  waj^ons, 
wIum'Is,  chairs,  &c.,  and  do  coarse  iron  work.  One  public  black- 
smith, and  three  strikers,  iuid  two  pul)lic  teachers  are  natives;  and 
as  the  academy  is  sending  home  some  well  cdiicated  men,  most  of 
the  schools  will  soon  be  taught  l)y  natives." 

"The  Choctaw  nation  embraces  a  large  tract,  affording  a  super- 
abundance of  rich  soil,  well  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  cotton, 
toltacco,  corn,  wheat,  rye,  oats,  and  every  kind  of  vegetable." 
"The  country  is  variegated  with  prairies  and  woodlands,  swam[)s, 
barren  rid  nd  canebrakes.     The  tindier  is  ash,  oak,  hickory, 

walnut,  g  ickberry,  cotton-wood,  cedar,  hois  d'arc;    on  the 

ridges  grow  immense  quantities  of  pine,  of  an  excellent  quality  for 
building.  Coal  abounds  in  great  quantities  in  various  parts  of  the 
hation." 

"  The  Senecas,  and  mi.xed  bands  of  Senecas  and  Shawanoes,  are 
laboring  together,  and,  without  the  fostering  care  of  an  agent,  they 
exhibit  great  signs  of  improvement.  They  cultivate  the  soil  and 
raise  stock;  they  make  corn,  oats,  wheat,  rye,  and  garden  vege- 
tables. No  tribe  owns  more  horses,  cattle,  and  hogs,  than  these 
people,  in  projiortion  to  their  poj)ulation.  They  live  in  good  hewed 
log-cabins;  their  gardens  and  fields  are  enclosed  with  rail  fences. 
They  have  some  merchants  and  mechanics  among  them,  and, 
under  the  care  of  a  good  agent,  promise  to  become,  in  time,  a 
prosperous  and  intelligent  community.  The  grist  and  saw-mill, 
erected  by  the  Government,  is  in  fine  condition,  since  it  has  been 
repaired,  and  more  than  supplies  the  wants  of  these  two  bands." 

The  following  extracts  are  from  the  report  of  the  principal  dis- 
tributing agent,  for  the  same  year: 

66 


522 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   EflSTORY  OF 


"Tlie  country  inhabited  liy  the  Ch(M;ta\vs  is  extensive,  and 
cxceediiifrly  fertile;  the  face  of  the  country  is  f^enorally  hi<fh, 
or  wliat  is  termed  rolling;  some  parts  of  it  are  mountainous;  the 
whole  is  well  watered  and  has  plenty  of  timber;  there  arc  soniti 
prairies,  which,  as  well  as  the  timber  lands,  are  of  first  rate  soil. 
Tli(!  whole  country  is  ndajted  to  corn  and  stock;  the  northern 
and  western  portions  to  co  n  and  wheat,  and  other  small  (jrains ; 
the  southern  part  to  cotton."  "Many  of  them  have  become 
pxtcnsivo  farMK"-s,  cultivating  cot'on  and  corn,  and  possessing  large 
stocks  of  cattle;  they  have  cotton  gins,  mills  of  different  kinds,  as 
well  as  shops  and  mechanics;  in  fine,  it  may  he  truly  said,  that  the 
Choctaws  are  rapidly  advancing  in  agricidtural  knowledge  and  in 
the  mechanic  arts."' 

"  In  travelling  through  the  Choctaw  country,  one  sees  little,  if 
any  difference,  in  an  airricnltural  point  of  view,  from  new  frontier 
white  settlements ;  their  cabins  are  constructed  with  equal  order 
and  substantialitv,  and  appr.rentlv,  with  as  many  comforts  and 
conveniences;  their  fiehls  are  under  good  fences;  they  have  gar- 
dens, and  cultivate  fmit  trees,  are  civil  and  attenii'e  to  travellers', 
understand  the  value  v)f  money,  and  all  of  them,  or  nearly  so,  have 
in  their  hou.ses  t,  common  luxuries  of  coffee,  tea,  sugar,  &c." 
"  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  for  all  the  comforts  of  domestic 
I'fe.  their  residciice.s  are  ample  and  abundant,  and  far  better  than 
coidil  |)ossii)lv  have  been  anticipated,  prior  to  their  removal,  in  so 
short  a  time." 

(^f  the  Cherokecs  he  says: — "This  tribe  has  been  allotted  a  very 
extensive  as  well  as  a  vef y  fine  tract  of  country.  Those  parts  over 
which  I  have  travelled  pcssess  a  soi'  of  very  sii|i<'rior  fpialitv, 
adapted  to  the  production  of  wheat,  siriall  grain  of  various  kinds, 
and  corn  of  \\u  larirest  irrowth.  The  wluiie  countrv  is  finelv  and 
abundnntiv  timl»ered,  and  we!)  w.'itered.  and  the  clini..ti<  is  exceed- 
inixly  favoralile  tf  ^stock." 

''The  greater  portion  of  the  Cherokecs,  west,  arc  farmers;  have 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


523 


good  and  comfortable  houses,  and  live,  many  of  them,  as  well,  and 
as  genteelly,  as  the  belter  class  of  farmers  in  the  United  States." 
"  Their  resources  are  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  one-fourth  of  the 
tillers  of  the  soil  in  the  United  States." 

"The  section  of  oouiitry  set  a)>art  for  tlie  Creeks  and  Seminoles 
is  about  the  same  in  extent  witli  that  of  the  Choctaws,  but  not  so 
mountainous.  The  soil  is  considered  to  be  equal  in  fertility  to  any 
in  the  .south-western  section  of  the  country.  It  is  well  watered, 
and  has  plenty  of  timber;  there  are  some  prairies,  wliich,  however, 
are  of  great  iu'vantagc  to  the  .settler,  the  soil  being  rich  and  eas^  to 
cultivate,  and  they  are  very  profital)le  for  raising  stock." 

"  The  Creeks  are  a  corn-growing  people.  Those  that  have  been 
in  the  country  some  years,  raise  corn  in  large  quantities;  some  ot 
the  principjd  farmers  cril)  from  five  to  tei\  thousand  bu.shcls  in  a 
season.  They  do  not  raise  min-h  stock,  ufir  ari;  they,  as  a  people, 
so  far  iulvanced  in  civilization  as  the  Cherokees  and  Choctaws, 
though,  as  agriculturists,  so  far  as  raising  corn,  they  e.vcel  eitlier  of 
the  above  named  tribes.  Tin  raise  stock  sullk-ienl  for  their  own 
con  .umplion,  but  none  of  any  coi'.sequence  for  sale." 

Of  the  Senecas  and  Shawanoes  the  .same  ofiicer  reports,  "  These 
tribes  inhabit  a  high,  healthy,  well  watered,  and  timbered  country  ; 
the  soil  rich  and  productive.  They  emigrated  in  1832,  arc  agricul- 
turists, and  arc  mainly  engaged  in  that  pursuit ;  they  raise  wheat 
and  corn,  and  their  country  is  well  adapted  to  raising  stock,  of 
which  they  have  considerable  herds,  lieing  remote,  however, 
from  a  market,  their  cropping  is  confined  to  tlieir  own  wants,  and 
for  these  they  provide  liberally  of  all  the  substantials  of  life.  The 
u.se  of  coffee,  tea,  and  sugar,  is  common  among  them.  'J'heir 
cabins  are  well  constructed,  combining  lx)th  comfort  and  con- 
venience ;  and  their  arrangements  in  farming  have  the  appearance 
of  tieatncss  and  order;  they  have  mills,  shops,  and  some  good 
mechanics.  Their  resources  are  abundant,  and  their  condition 
apparently  happy." 


624 


AN   ESSAY   ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


The  Qiiapaws  "emigratod  in  the  fiill  of  1831.  Their  country, 
in  point  of  soil,  water,  timber,  and  liealth,  is  similar  to,  and 
equally  as  good  as  that  of  their  neighbors,  the  Cherokees,  Sene- 
cas,  and  Senecas  and  Shawanoese.  The/  are  not  so  far  advanced 
in  civilization  as  tlie  several  tribes  of  Indians  above  named  ;  bnt 
a  more  honest,  qniet,  peaceable  people,  are  not  to  be  found  in  any 
section  of  the  Indian  country.  They  are  industrious,  and  exceed- 
ing! v  desirous  of  making  for  themselves  a  comfortable  home." 

The  Osnges  have  "  made  but  little  progress  towards  civilization  ; 
their  subsistence  mainly  depends  upon  the  game  of  the  country. 
They  raise  some  corn  and  bciius,  but  the  culture  is  rude.  They 
raise  no  stock  ;  they  obtain  their  horses  from  those  Indians  residing 
far  1o  the  south  and  west  of  them.  Their  country  pos.sesses  excel- 
lent soil,  is  well  watered  jnid  timbered." 

The  Sid)-Agent  on  the  Osage  River  reported  within  the  same 
year: — "The  Potlawiitamies  are  now  in  the  act  of  emigrating  to 
tlieir  land  on  the  O.sage  River.  Such  of  them  as  have  arrived  are 
]>reparing  to  erect  log-honses,  to  fence  and  plo\igh  tlieir  fields,  and 
show  a  disposition  to  adopt  (vvclusively  agricultural  ha))its." 

"  The  Weas  and  Piankeshaws  have  generally  comfortable  log- 
calnns,  fields  fenced  and  i)loun:1ied,  cultivated  bv  animal  power; 
own  oxen,  cows,  hogs,  horses,  fowls,  &c. ;  alsc  ■  ijrici.ilural  imple- 
Mients  and  domestic  utensils.  Tlu^y  are  rapidly  improving  in 
comfort  and  ajrricultural  pursuits,  and  show  a  disposition  to  wholiv 
abiuidon  the  chiusi!  as  a  nuvins  of  subsistence." 

"  The  Pcorias  and  Kaskaskias  have  better  houses  than  those 
al)ove  nnmerl ;  own  more  domestic  animal.s,  have  a  greater  jiropor- 
lion  of  ploiighed  land,  &^c.,  but  are,  jierhaps,  in  regard  to  general 
improvement,  more  .stationary." 

"The  Ottawas,  recently  arrived  in  their  country,  have  neat 
hewed  louf-cabins,  fields  fenced  and  ploughed,  own  domestic  ani- 
mals, agricidtural  implements,  domestic  utensils,  A:c.,  and  are 
rapidly  improving."     "Of  all  these  triijes  it  may   be  remarked, 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


525 


that  they  raise  a  surplus  of  produce,  increase  in  the  acciuisition  ot 
useful  properly,  and  evince  a  desire  to  adopt  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  whites." 

The.se  data,  selected  from  the  earliest  evidences  of  the  prosperity 
of  the  emigrated  Indians,  show  with  what  facility  they  adopted  the 
uew  life  appointed  them  in  their  new  homes.  Subsequent  accounts 
show  that  their  improvement  has  been  progressive.  The  Choctaws 
have  a  printing-press,  from  which  they  have  issued,  up  to  Septem- 
ber, 1842,  thirty-three  thousand  impressions,  or  more  than  three 
millions  of  pages,  consisting  of  translations  of  books,  pamphlets, 
&c.  They  have  also  contributed  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the 
building  of  a  Central  College,  where  the}'  intend  to  complete  the 
education  of  the  Choctaw  youth,  and  prepare  teachers  for  their 
primary  schools.  Their  country  is  divided  into  four  judicial  dis- 
tricts, in  each  of  which  there  are  judges  inferior  and  superior,  with 
ail  the  necessary  officers  of  justice.  Religio\is  and  temperance 
societies  abound,  and  trade  is  carried  on  witli  spirit.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  four  districts  wliich  comprise  their  territory  is  seventeen 
thousand.  There  are  many  missionaries  among  them,  who  are 
well  supported.  In  one  district  there  are  eighteen,  of  whom  four- 
teen are  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

The  western  territory  is  now  peopled  by  a  number  of  tribes : — 
the  Choctaws,  Creeks,  Seininoles,  Cherokees,  Chickiisaws,  Senecas, 
Shawanoe.sc,  Quapaws,  Wcsus,  Piankeshaws,  Peorias,  Kaskaskias, 
Ottawas,  Delawares,  Kickapoos,  Iowa.s,  Saukies  and  Foxes,  Kansas, 
Ottoes,  Missouris,  Omahas,  Pawnees,  and  Osages.  The  la^t  si.\ 
named  tribes  were  occupants  of  parts  of  the  country  I),  lore  it  was  se- 
lected as  a  permanent  residence  for  the  Indians,  ami  nil  the  otliers  are 
emigrants  removed  thither  by  the  ( iovernment.  Kach  tribe  has  a 
separate  district,  guaranteed  to  it  for  ever,  and  over  which  it 
exercises  a  local  jurisdiction,  through  its  own  chiefs  and  council , 
and  there  is  a  confederated  government  over  the  whole,  adiiiinis- 
t«red  by  a  general  council,  to  which  each  trilw  sends  representatives. 


626 


AN  ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY   OF 


and  whose  laws  ;irc  I''ulin<r  wlicn  siiiu'tioiieil  by  the  President  of 
tlie  United  States.  An  advisory  jiower  is  exercised  liy  the  United 
States,  through  her  agents;  hut  I'.iis  interference  will  be  gradually 
withdriwn,  as  the  Indians  acquire  skill  in  legislation.  Thus  far 
the  plan  has  succeeded  well,  and  the  experiment  may  be  considered 
as  having  resulted  satisfactorily. 

In  the  suggestions  we  have  thrown  out  we  have  puri)osely 
avoided  l.urdeiiing  our  plan,  for  the  improvement  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  Indians,  with  det  lils,  l>eca\ise  we  are  indifferent  as  to 
the  measures  that  may  be  employctl,  provided  the  principles  be 
observed  ;  and  also  because  tlic  extreme  simplicity  of  our  scheme 
is  such  as  to  require  but  little  legislation.  The  difliculty  lies,  not 
in  planting,  but  in  clearing  the  groiuid.  The  field  is  occupied  by 
a  l)old  and  well  organized  corps  who  will  resist  all  change.  The 
numerous  l)ody  of  stipendiaries  and  speciilators,  who  find  a  profit- 
able, and  some  of  them  an  honest,  employment,  under  the  present 
state  of  things,  would  throw  every  ol)stacle  in  the  way  of  reform. 
Thousands  of  individuals  would  be  ejected  from  the  Indian  coun- 
try, whose  interest  it  is  to  keep  tlie  savage  in  his  present  condition ; 
and  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  would  be  retained  in  the 
treasury  of  the  United  States,  which  are  now  used  to  debauch  the 
Indian,  or  to  enrich  those  who  thrive  upon  his  ignorance  and  his 
ruin.  We  should  not  be  particular  as  to  tlie  form  of  the  remedy, 
provided  it  l)e  siich  as  would  wholly  withdraw  the  patronages  of  the 
Government  from  this  cla.ss  of  persons,  and  oblige  them  to  abandon 
the  Indian  coimtry. 

We  have  supposed  that  the  pastoral  state  would  be  that  which 
would  at  first  he  adopted.  Hut  we  do  not  propose  to  keep  the 
tribes  in  that  condition.  From  feeding  herds  to  cultivating  the 
soil,  the  transition  is  easy  and  ol)viou.s,  and  we  have  seen,  in  the 
example  of  the  Indians  in  the  western  territory,  that  it  is  rapid. 
The  Indian  women  already  raise  corn,  l)eans,  and  pumpkins.  If 
restrained  from  wandering,  provided  with  permanent  habitations, 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS. 


527 


and  secured  from  being  plundered,  their  industry  would  be  quick- 
ened, Jind  their  economy  improved.  The  products  of  their  hus- 
bandry would  become  more  various ;  they  would  rise  in  usefulness, 
importance,  and  influence;  and  as  the  inducements  to  train  the 
Ixiys  from  infancy  to  tlir  use  of  arms  shall  be  decreased,  the 
mothers  would  lead  them  into  the  fields,  and  they  would  learn  the 
use  of  the  a,Kc,  the  hoc,  and  the  plough. 

Among  the  men  there  would  be  some  who  would  immediately 
turn  their  attention  to  rural  employments.  Wo  have  seen  that 
this  has  lieen  the  case  whenever  a  trilK5  has  become  .stationary,  and 
enjoyed  a  season  of  repose  from  war.  However  repugnant  the 
toils  of  husbandry  may  bo  to  the  majority,  there  are  always  some 
men,  of  pacific  disposition,  who  would  slide  easily  into  the  habits 
of  civilization.  There  are  also,  in  all  our  triljes,  men  of  superior 
capacity,  persons  of  sagacity  and  prudence,  who  would  adapt  them- 
selves to  any  circumstances  in  which  they  might  l)e  placed.  The 
annals  of  these  tril)es  exhiljit,  in  a  wide  expanse  of  moral  darkness, 
many  gleams  of  the  most  exhilarating  intellectual  light.  There 
have  been,  among  the  Indians,  examples  of  genius,  of  vigorous 
tliought,  of  patriotism,  and  of  sound  moral  feeling,  which  commend 
this  race  to  our  sympatiiies,  as  men  of  like  pa.ssions  with  ourselves, 
and  iis  possessed  of  capacities  snsceptil)le  of  the  higiiest  degree  of 
refinement.  Such  men  as  Brant,  lied  Jacket,  Tecumtlie,  and 
Corn  Plant ;  Ongpatinger,  chief  of  the  Omahaws,  and  the  gallant 
young  Pawnee,  Petalesharo;  Major  Kidge,  John  Ridge,  Elias 
Boudinot,  the  llickes,  and  John  Ross;  Sequoya  and  Opothee 
Yaliolo,  would  never  sink  into  idle  drones. 

We  have  an  exjimph;  of  that  InMievoleiice  which  assimilates  so 
iKjautifuUy  with  true  courage,  and  which  occurs  in  the  history  of 
Tecumtlie,  who,  when  a  young  man,  on  one  of  his  earliest  warliko 
expeditions,  interfered  with  his  comi)aiiioiis  to  sav(>  a  prisoner  from 
torture,  and  through  whose  influence,  it  is  probalde.  that  the  prac- 


528 


AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  HISTORY  OF 


ticc   of   torturing  captives  was  discontinued    among    the   north- 
western tribes. 

The  affecting  story  of  Totapia,  a  Choctaw  mother,  known  to 
the  whites  by  the  name  of  Jenny,  related  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morse  m 
his  report,  exhibits  a  touching  example  of  the  strength  and  sensi- 
bility of  maternal  affection,  and  shows  a  depth  and  tenderness  of 
feeling  in  the  Indian  woman,  which,  in  a  Roman,  or  a  Grecian 
matron,  would  have  been  rendered  immortal  by  the  poet  and  hi.s- 
torian.  She  was  the  widow  of  a  Choctaw,  who,  having  slain  one 
of  his  own  tribe,  was  ])ursued  by  the  relatives  of  the  deceased,  and 
put  to  death  according  to  the  Indian  law.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband  she  settled  near  St.  Fiancisville,  in  Louisiana,  where  she 
lived  reputably  with  four  or  five  children,  of  whom  Hoctanlubbee, 
or  Tom,  her  son,  was  the  eldest. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  her  son  "  murdered  an  old  Indian ;  fpr 
which  act,  according  to  the  unalterable  law  of  the  nation,  his  life 
was  demanded,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  die.  The  day  of  his 
execution  was  fixed,  and  had  arrived,  and  the  relatives  and  friends 
both  of  the  murdered  and  of  the  murderer,  with  others,  a  mingled 
throng,  were  assembled  after  their  usual  manner,  and  all  things 
were  ready  for  inflicting  the  criminal  sentence  of  the  law.  At 
this  moment  of  strong  and  mingled  feeling,  Jenny,  the  mother, 
pressed  through  the  crowd,  to  the  spot  where  her  son  stotnl,  by 
the  instruments  prepared  to  take  from  him  his  life.  She  then 
addressed  the  chiefs  and  the  company,  demanding  the  life  of 
her  son,  offering  in  its  stead  her  own.  Her  plea  was  this:  'lie 
is  young.  lie  has  a  wife,  children,  brothers,  sisters,  all  looking 
to  him  for  counsel  and  support.  I  am  old.  I  have  only  a  few 
days  to  live  at  most,  and  can  do  but  little  more  for  my  family 
Nor  is  it  strictly  just — it  is  rather  a  shame — to  take  n  new  shirt  fm 
an  old  one.' 

"  The  magnanimous  otferof  the  devoted  mother  was  accepted,  and 
a  few  hours  were  allowed  her  to  prej)are  for  death.     She  repaired 


THE  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


529 


immediately  to  tlio  lionse  of  a  lady,  Mrs.  T.,  who  liad  boon  licr 
kind  and  liberal  Iriend,  and  witlioiit  divulging  wliat  had  occurred, 
said  she  came  to  beg  a  winding-shoot  and  coffin  for  her  son.  Not 
suspecting  the  arrangotncnt  of  Tolupia  to  preserve  hor  son,  the 
huly  acceded  to  hor  request.  When  asked  in  relation  to  the  length 
of  the  coffin  and  grave-clotho.s,  the  Choctaw  mother  rojiliod,  'Make 
them  to  suit  my  size,  and  thoy  will  answer  for  my  son.' 

"Soon  after  Jenny  had  left  Mrs.  T.  for  the  camp,  wheie  all 
things  were  ready  for  her  execution,  a  messenger  arrived  in  haste, 
and  informed  Mrs.  T.  of  what  was  pa,s.sing  in  camp,  and  that  Jenny 
was  immediately  to  die.  She  ha.stoned  to  the  scene  with  the 
intention  of  rescuing  her  friend;  but  Jenny,  the  moment  she  saw 
her  carriage  coming,  at  a  distance,  imagining,  doubtless,  what  was 
her  object,  standing  in  her  grave,  caught  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  the 
prepared  instrument  of  her  death,  and  pointing  it  to  her  heart, 
entreated  the  executioner  to  do  his  duty.  lie  obeyed,  and  she 
foil  dead." 

We  are  not  told  how  it  happened  that  the  son  suffered  his 
mother  to  die  for  him,  or  whether  he  could  have  prevented  it. 
It  seems,  however,  that  he  was  dcs])ised  for  permitting  it,  and 
that  his  own  conscience  goaded  him.  The  friends  of  the  old  man 
whom  he  had  murdered  taunted  him  :  "  You  coward  ;  you  let  yoiu" 
mother  die  for  you ;  you  are  afraid  to  die."  Unable  to  endure  all 
this,  he  stabbed  a  son  of  his  former  victim  ;  but  not  until  five  years 
had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  his  mother. 

"He  returned  homo  with  indications  of  triumph,  brandishing  his 
blomly  knife,  and,  without  waiting  for  i-iquiry,  confessed  what  he 
had  done.  He  told  his  Indian  friends  that  he  would  not  live  to  bo 
called  a  coward.  'I  have  been  told,'  he  said,  'that  I  fear  to  die. 
Now  you  shall  see  that  I  can  die  like  a  man.'  A  wealthy  jilanter, 
whose  house  he  passed,  ho  invited  to  see  how  he  could  die.  This 
was  on  Sunday.  Mon<lay,  at  twelve  o'clock,  was  the  houi  he 
appointed  for  this  self-immolation." 

67 


530 


AN    ESSAY  ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


"  Here,"  siiys  the  lady  who  gives  this  iiiforniutiod,  who  was 
present  and  relates  what  she  saw,  "a  scene  was  presented  which 
baflles  all  description.  As  I  approached,  Tom  was  walking  for- 
ward and  back  again,  still  keeping  in  his  hand  the  blootly  knife. 
With  all  his  efforts  to  conceal  it,  he  discovered  marks  of  an  agitated 
mind.  The  sad  group  present  consisted  of  about  ten  men,  and  as 
many  females;  the  latter,  with  sorrowful  countenances,  were  em- 
ployed in  making  an  over-shirt,  for  Tom's  burial.  The  men,  all 
except  two  brothers  of  Tom,  were  smoking  their  pipes  with  ap- 
parent unconcern.  Several  times  Tom  examined  his  gun,  and 
remained  silent.  His  grave  had  been  dug  the  day  before,  and  he 
had  laid  himself  down  in  it,  to  see  if  it  suited  as  to  length  and 
breadth." 

"  No  one  had  demanded  his  death  ;  for  all  who  were  interested, 
and  would  have  considered  their  honor  and  duty  concerned  in  it, 
resided  at  a  distance  of  forty  or  fifty  miles.  The  death-song  was 
repeated,  as  was  the  shaking  of  hands.  Both  were  again  repeated, 
the  third  and  la.st  time.  Immediately  after,  Tom  .stepped  up  to  his 
wife,  a  young  woman  of  eighteen,  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  and 
another  little  cliild  two  or  tliree  years  old,  standing  by  her  side, 
and  presented  to  her  the  blocKJy  knife,  which  till  now  he  had  kept 
in  his  hand.  She  averted  her  face  to  conceal  a  falling  tear ;  but 
recovering  her.self,  with  a  faint,  forced  smile,  took  it.  His  sister 
was  sitting  by  the  side  of  his  wife,  wholly  absori)ed  in  grief,  ap- 
parently insensible  to  wliat  was  passing;  her  eyes  vacant,  fixed  on 
some  distant  object.  Such  a  perfect  picture  of  woe  I  never  beheld. 
His  pipe  he  gave  to  a  young  brother,  who  struggled  hard  to  con- 
ceal bis  emotions.  He  dien  drank  a  little  whi.sky  and  water, 
dashed  the  bottle  on  the  ground,  sung  a  few  words  in  the  Choctaw 
language,  and  with  a  jiUTi|)iiig,  dancing  step,  hurried  to  his  grave. 
His  gun  was  so  fixed  by  the  side  of  a  young  sapling  as  to  enable 
him  to  take  his  own  lifi'.  \o  one,  he  had  (Iccliired,  should  lake  it 
from  him.     These  preparations  and  ceremonies  being  now  com- 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


531 


pleted,  he  gave  the  necessary  touch  to  the  apparatus,  the  gun  was 
discharged,  and  Us  contents  passed  tlirough  his  heart,  lie  instantly 
fell  dead  to  the  earth.  The  females  sprang  to  the  lifeless  body. 
Some  held  his  head,  others  his  liands  and  feet,  and  others  knelt  at 
his  .side.  He  had  charged  them  to  show  no  signs  of  grief  while  he 
lived,  lest  it  should  shake  his  resolution.  As  far  as  possible  they 
obeyed.  Their  grief  was  restrained  until  he  was  dead.  It  then 
burst  forth  in  a  torrent,  and  their  shrieks  and  lamentations  were 
loud  and  undissemhled." 

The.se  scenes  are  fraught  with  melancholy  interest  and  in- 
struction. To  the  philanthropist  and  Christian  they  depict  in 
growing  colors  the  debasing  and  destructive  influence  of  that 
superstition  which  pervades  the  savage  mind,  and  offers  the  most 
formidable  barrier  to  the  reception  of  the  principles  of  social 
improvement,  and  appeal  most  eloquently  in  behalf  of  this  de- 
luded race ;  while  they  show  in  the  neglected  waste  of  the  savage 
mind  a  soil  rich  in  the  native  elements  of  a  noble  character.  The 
woman  who  with  such  prompt  courage  and  devoted  fondness  could 
lay  down  her  life  for  her  son,  was  capable,  under  a  better  culture, 
of  the  noblest  sacrifices  of  patriotism  or  Christian  duty.  The  man 
who,  though  he  faltered  in  principle  ir.  permitting  his  mother  to 
die  for  him,  showed,  in  the  sequel,  the  same  keen  sense  of  shamo 
and  desire  of  public  ap|)robation,  which  leads,  in  the  most  refined 
communities,  to  the  sacrifice  of  life,  under  mistaken  notions  of 
honor ;  and  the  bereaved  women  who  wept  over  his  corpse,  evinced 
all  the  sensibility  which  characterizes  the  most  tender  of  the  sex. 
Deluded  as  they  all  were,  we  recognize  in  their  acts  and  their 
affliction,  natures  kindred  to  our  own,  and  impulses  in  which  we 
sympathize. 

We  have  already  commented  on  the  beautiful  display  of  femi- 
nine loveliness  in  the  character  of  Pocahontas;  but  that  instance 
is  not  without  a  parallel.  We  quote  the  following  incident  from 
the  "Baltimore  American:" 


532 


AN   KSSAY   ON    TIIK   IIISI'ORY   OF 


"Tlic  Conimittoc  on  Tiidiiiii  AlViiirs,  in  tlic  liilo  ITtmso  of  l^opro- 
snititivos,  roportcd  a  liill  allowinif  .1  pt-iisioii  lor  lifi;  to  Milly,  an 
Indian  woman,  of  \\\v  Cirok  trilir,  daiiglitcr  of  the  celebrated  pro- 
phet and  (^liief  Francis,  who  was  exeented  by  order  of  General 
Jackson,  in  the  Seminole  war  of  1817-18.  The  snbject  was 
bron<j;ht  to  the  notice  of  the  comniitteo  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  at 
the  instance  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hitchcock,  who  communicated 
the  particulars  of  the  incident  upon  which  the  recommendation  to 
tlie  favor  of  the  fiovernment  was  founded. 

"  Milly,  at  the  a<fe  of  sixteen,  when  her  nation  was  at  war  with 
the  United  States,  and  her  father  was  one  of  the  most  decided  and 
indefati!fal)le  enemies  of  the  white  people,  saved  the  life  of  an 
American  citizen,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  her  tribe.  The 
captive  was  bound  to  a  tree,  and  the  savage  warriors,  with  their 
rifle.s,  were  danciujf  around  him,  preparatory  to  putting  him  to 
death.  The  young  Indian  girl,  filled  with  pity  for  the  devoted 
prisoner,  besought  her  father  to  spare  him  ;  but  tlie  chief  declined 
to  interfere,  saying  that  the  life  of  the  prisoner  was  in  the  hands 
of  his  captors,  who.se  right  it  was  to  put  him  to  death.  She  then 
turned  to  the  warriors,  and  im|»lore(l  them  to  forbear  their  deadly 
purpose.  But  she  was  repulsed;  and  one  of  them,  much  enraged, 
told  her  that  he  had  lo.st  two  si.sters  in  the  war,  and  the  prisoner 
must  die.  Iler  intercession,  howev(>r,  continued.  She  persevered 
in  entreaties,  and  used  all  the  arts  of  persuasion  w'licli  her  woman's 
nature  suggested  ;  and  she  finally  succeeded  m  saving  his  life,  on 
ciiiidition  that  the  young  while  man  should  adopt  the  Indian  dress, 
and  become  one  of  the  trii)e. 

"  It  apjiears  from  the  information  communicated  by  Colonel 
Hitchcock,  that  .some  time  after  this  event,  the  white  man  sought 
his  benefactress  in  marriage,  but  slie  declined,  and  subserpiently 
married  one  of  her  own  ])(M>j)le.  Her  husl)aud  is  now  dead.  Her 
fallicr  was  put  to  death  in  the  war  of  1">17-1'^,  and  her  mother  and 
sister  have  since  died.     She  is  now  friendless  and  poor,  residing 


THE   NORTH   AMKRICAN  INDIANS. 


633 


amoni^st  lier  people  in  iVioir  now  conntry,  near  the  month  of 
Vcrdij^ris  River.  She  has  threts  children,  (a  hoy  and  two  girls,) 
all  too  young  to  provide  for  themselves,  and  consequently  de- 
pendent upon  their  mother  for  support. 

"The  committee  thought  that  the  occasion  presented  hy  this 
case  was  a  suitahlc  one,  not  only  to  reward  a  meritorious  act,  hut 
also  to  show  the  Indian  trihcs  how  mercy  and  humanity  arc  appre- 
ciated hy  the  Government.  The  grant  of  a  pension,  with  a  clear 
exposition  of  the  grounds  of  its  allowance,  would  have  a  salutary 
influence,  it  was  believed,  upon  savage  customs  in  future.  A  ImU 
was  accordingly  reported,  to  allow  to  Milly  a  pension  of  ninety-six 
dollars  per  annum,  or  eight  dollars  per  month,  for  life." 

We  shall  not  multiply  these  instances,  hut  refer  the  reader  to  the 
l)iographical  dejjarttncnt  of  our  work,  where  abundant  evidence 
will  be  found  of  the  capacity  of  the  alx)riginal  American.  By 
carefully  comparing  these,  it  will  he  seen,  that  not  only  in  boldnc^ss 
and  cunning,  but  in  all  the  nobler  attributes  of  wisdom  and  gene- 
rosity, the  Indian  mind  has  given  evidence  of  a  congenial  soil. 

These  instances  show  that  there  arc  intellects  among  the  In- 
dians, not  only  capable  of  civilization,  but  eminently  qualified  for  the 
civil  state.  One  or  more  such  men  would  be  found  in  every  tribe, 
who,  perceiving  that  the  war-path  was  no  longer  the  road  to  dis- 
tinction, would  aim  at  acquiring  superiority  through  some  other 
avenue.  The  season  for  political  competition  not  having  yet  arrived, 
the  only  moans  of  distinction  would  be  wealth ;  and  the  glory  of 
accumulating  the  bloody  trophies  of  the  battle-field,  would  be  ex- 
changed for  the  boast  of  broad  fields  and  numerous  herds.  The 
few,  possessed  of  prudence  and  foresight,  or  desiring  eminence, 
would  see  at  once  the  advantages  of  agriculture,  and  would  become 
farmers.  The  example  would  be  salutary,  and  one  after  another 
would  desire  to  possess  the  comforts  and  the  independence  which 
crown  the  labors  of  the  husl)andman.  The  best  and  most  in- 
fluential men  would  be  the  first  to  lead  the  way  in  thi.s  reformation ; 


5U 


AN   ESSAY   ON   THE   HISTORY  OF 


niul  every  man  who  becainc  a  raniicr  would  he  a  jxiwerfu!  ailvf- 
ciite  of  the  cause,  becaiiHo  it  wonld  Im'  his  interest  to  diminish  the 
niHiiher  of  the  idle  an<l  non-prcKlniinj^  class,  who  must  depend 
on  the  pidjlic  for  sul)sislonee,  or  disturl)  the  peace  by  crime  and 
violence. 

To  hasten  this  result,  to  hold  out  a  reward  for  industry,  nnd  to 
provide  for  a  more  advanced  state  of  society  than  that  which  we 
have  bccJi  contemplating,  it  should  be  provided  that  whenever  an 
Indian  should  have  actually  Iwcome  a  farmer,  and  should  for  a 
sj)ecified  numlxT  of  years  have  tilled  the  soil,  a  tract  of  land 
sliould  be  granted  to  him,  the  title  to  which  should  be  a  life  estate 
to  liimsclf,  and  a  fee-simple  to  his  descendants.  By  this  provision 
portions  of  the  land  would  be  converted  into  private  property,  and 
the  remainder  might  lie  vested  in  the  nation  whenever  they  should 
have  a  government  capable  of  propc^rly  disposing  of  it. 

In  this  way  the  Indian  would  be  allured  by  his  interest,  and  led 
to  self-elevation.  We  would  deprive  him  of  his  natural  lilx'rty 
only  so  long  as  should  be  necessary  to  bring  about  that  lucid  inter- 
val in  which  he  would  become  sensible  of  his  true  condition,  and 
apprised  of  the  means  held  out  for  his  redemption;  and  we  would 
leave  it  to  himself  to  seek  out  his  own  further  advancement,  in  his 
own  way.  In  this  we  should  pursue  the  j)lan  of  nature.  'I'he 
primitive  nations  were  not  precociously  instructed  by  their  Creator 
in  the  wliole  circle  of  human  knowledge,  but  it  was  left  for  them 
and  their  descendants  to  discover  gradually  the  wealth  and  re- 
sources of  the  world  beneficently  given  them,  and  to  increase  in 
learning  by  an  easy  and  healthful  gradation. 

The  attempt  to  civilize  the  roving  bands  by  reason,  by  the  mere 
force  of  truth,  or  by  any  abstract  sense  of  duty,  has  always  been, 
and  will  continue  to  be  abortive.  The  physical  impediments  must 
first  be  removed.  Among  white  men  Christianity,  literature,  and 
the  arts,  have  never  flourished  during  a  period  of  anarchy,  or  civil 
war.     In  those  countries  where  the  peasantry  are  oppressed,  and 


THK  NORTH   AMERICAN   INDIANS. 


M- 


Ivive  no  rif^lils,  property,  or  iMliiciitioii,  they  aro  degraded  and 
ferocious;  and  if  the  passions  of  their  savage  natinr  aro  not  de- 
veh)ped  in  deerls  of  earnage,  it  is  becanse  they  arc  l)ri(i'ed  by  tiio 
strong  arm  of  power.  If  we  trace  the  nations  of  Enrope  from  their 
former  state  of  barl)arism  to  their  present  moral  elevation,  we  shall 
find  the  same  ea\ises  to  have  always  operated.  The  first  step  has 
always  l)cen  the  aetpiisition  of  permanent  habitations,  and  the  conse- 
(pient  love  of  country,  and  of  home.  Domestic  comforts  warmed 
into  life  the  social  virtues.  The  possession  of  property  followed, 
and  then  personal  and  civil  rights  one  after  another  were  conceived. 
Then  emancipation  from  their  chiefs  ensued;  and  political  rights 
began  to  be  demanded.  The  state  of  war  Ijecame  inconvenient. 
It  was  now  the  interest  of  the  honest  and  industrions  to  protect 
themselves  against  plum.,  r  and  violence;  and  deeds  of  murder  and 
robbery  ceased  to  be  considered  heroic.  Commerce  between  nations 
softened  prejudice,  proi^sced  the  interchange  of  commodities,  en- 
couraged the  arts,  ;..id  ilarged  ^the  stock  of  knowledge.  And 
lastly,  hand  in  hand,  came  education  and  religion. 

The  ministers  of  the  Clospel  and  the  schoolmaster  have  been 
powerful  agents  in  these  changes;  but  they  have  never  marched 
in  the  van.  They  form  an  efiiciont  corps  in  the  main  body,  but 
their  business  is  to  secure  and  improve  the  acipiisitions  which  Iwne 
and  muscle,  and  skill  and  courage,  have  obtained.  As  the  rille 
and  the  Jixe  must  first  sulxlue  the  forest,  before  the  husbandman 
can  cuHivate  the  .soil,  so  must  tue  strong  arm  of  the  government 
j)ro(luce  peace,  enforce  obedience,  and  organize  a  system  of  civil 
rights  and  restraints,  before  tlie  mild  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  and 
the  fructifving  streams  of  knowledge,  can  be  made  to  pervade  the 
wilderness,  and  teach  the  desert  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 

The  spirit  of  the  age  calls  aloud  for  a  change  in  relations  wilh 
the  Indians.  There  is  a  general  movement  tlu'oughout  the  civili/ed 
world  in  favor  of  lii)eral  thouglit,  free  princij)les,  and  the  dissemina- 
tion of  knowledge.     Every  government  in  Europe  is  treml)l!ng. 


0.3tj 


AN    KSSAY   ON   TIIK   IHSTOHY  OF 


and  some  of  tlicni  ;iir  coiiviilsi'd  with  actiml  revolution,  in  cnnsc- 
(|'.ii'iicc  of  lli»^  iinivetsiil  sproad  of  inteIli<(onc(!  anioii!^  Ilio  proplo. 
'I'lio  coiilcsf  hctwecii  iifnoraiicr  and  litjlit,  and  Iwlwcou  despotism 
and  liberty,  is  going  forward  throughout  Cliris'.;;ndorn.  Every 
where  the  spirit  of  improvement  is  abroad;  and  the  same  spirit 
pervades  all  ranks,  and  every  department  of  human  thought  and 
industry.  In  religion,  politics,  literature,  and  the  mechanic,  arts, 
men  have  resolved  to  tiiink  for  tliemselves.  'I'hey  will  neither  lie 
machines  to  do  tlie  work  that  steam  engines  can  do  for  them,  nor 
\.  ill  they  1m3  slaves  of  idle,  nor  the  instruments  of  artful  rulers,  in 
church  or  state. 

Ours  is  moreover  an  economical  age,  when  nothing  is  valued 
that  is  not  useful  or  practical,  anrl  when  little  value  is  placed  upon 
mere  names.  At  such  a  time,  with  the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world 
iil)on  us,  we  cannot  iR'lieve  that  u  people,  such  as  we  are,  can 
deliberately  purpo.se  to  consign  u  vast  region  to  eternal  sterilitv, 
and  to  support  a  multitude  of  hrtman  beings  in  idleness,  ignorance , 
inttMuperance,  and  l)l(X)dshei!.  We  are  not  so  wedded  to  names,  as 
to  iMilieve  that  we  are  t«Miged  to  keep  up  a  state  of  things  wiiich 
wc  know  to  hv  wrong  and  impolitic,  merciv  lu'cause  it  exists,  and 
nas  e.visted  ;  nor  can  wc  adopt  tiic  maxim  of  legitimacy  .so  lar  as  to 
feel  ourselves  ImhuiiI  to  respect  that  which  luis  nothing  to  recom- 
mend it  but  its  long  continuance,  and  nothing  to  supjiort  it  but  the 
jirejudices of  ignorance,  and  the  scKishness  of  inten-sted  individuals. 

This  whole  sultject  must  sewn  occupy  the  serious  attention  of 
Congress  and  the  people;  and  when  all  the  facts  shall  In;  pre- 
sented, in  a  connecteil  view,  it  will  be  seen  that  our  existing  |)olicv 
must  !».'  radically  clianged  or  wholly  abandoned  ;  and  the  cpiestion 
to  lie  (li'cided  will  be,  whether  the  .savage  tribes  shall  be  driven 
lieytind  our  frontiers,  and  left  to  their  fate,  or  be  sidijected  to  the 
wholesome  constraint  of  o,ir  laws,  or  comuHted,  l)y  ties  of  a  terri- 
torial .sort,  sueh  as  I'onnect  Iowa,  Ouisconsin,  iVc,  to  this  nation. 
The  indolent  and  the  tiuud  may  shrink  from  the  second  alternatise, 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN  INDIANS, 


537 


because  it  is  iiovi-l,  and  boars  tbe  seml)lanoc  of  violence;  bnmanity 
shmUlers  at  the  former,  but  j,'reets  the  latter  as  the  only  sehenie  in 
whieh  justice  and  mercy  meet  and  mingle,  and  which  has  in  it  all 
the  elen)ent.s  required  for  the  preservation  and  happiness  of  the 
remnants  of  thu  alx>riginal  race.  The  statemer'ts  of  the  interested, 
or  the  apprehensions  of  honest  prejudice,  may  for  a  while  embarrass 
the  decision  ;  but  a  magnanimous  people  will  hear  the  evidence  on 
both  sides ;  and  we  have  no  fears  as  to  the  wistlom  or  the  justice  of 
the  nation,  in  any  case  where  its  verdict  shall  be  deliberately  made 
up,  and  solemnly  recorded. 


TUB 

GENUINENESS 

OF   '11113 

PORTRAIT  OF  POCAHONTAS. 


The  portraits  in  this  work  nrc  not  merely  pictorial,  but  oxaoi  likenesscB 
of  tlic  individuals  tlicy  represent,  and  of  tlio  costumes  in  wliicli  they  aro 
uttired.  Man}-  have  douhted  whether  »  ).'enuinc  likeness  of  Pocahontas  ex- 
isted,— intleed,  we  had  Ion;;  abandoned  all  hope  of  procuring  one,  but  by  dint 
of  constant  effort,  ha'in;.'  pit  upon  a  trail,  some  years  af.'o,  one  has  been 
found,  'fhat  it  may  he  eontomphited  with  the  interest  that  we  nil  take  in 
viewing  portraits  of  distinguished  persons — an  interest  always  greatly  in- 
ereaseil  in  proportion  as  our  eonliileui'e  in  the  fidelity  of  the  artist,  and  in  the 
close  reseuiblanee  whieh  his  produelion  bears  to  the  individual,  is  established 
— wo  state,  that  this  is  an  exact  copy  of  an  original  portrait  tf  I'ocuhontas, 
paint(Ml  between  the  years  ItJli!  and  1(!17,  tluring  her  visit  to  Kngland,  in 
euiiipany  with  her  husband,  .Mr.  Itolfe.  The  reuuiins  of  the  original  are  at  this 
time,  November  '20, 1H4!.I,  in  possession  of  Doctor  Thomas  Itobinson,  in  I'elers- 
burg,  Virginia.  Mr.  K.  .M.  Sully,  the  artist  who  tnadc  the  copy  from  the 
original,  fiom  whieh  copy  the  portrait  in  this  work  was  taken,  employed  great 
labor  in  attaching  the  decaying  parts  together,  so  as  to  bring  the  whole  within 
his  power,  and  he  succeeded. 

We  proceed  to  state  the  ])roofs  on  which  the  genuineness  of  this  beautiful 
picture  tests.  The  original  documents  are  in  our  possession,  from  which  we 
co|iy  tin?  following: 

l.st,  .V  letter  froiu  Kii'hard  Handi>lph,  Ksip,  of  Virginia,  written  and  dated 
in  Washington,  1st  -Vjiril,  1S12. 

"Pocahtmtas  and  Mr.  Holfe,  her  husband,  arrived  at  i'lyiuouth  on  the  1-th 
June,  l(il(!.  Their  portraits  were  taken  wliil>t  they  were  in  Kngland,  where 
their  son  Thomas  was  born.  I'oeahontas  died  at  (iravesenil  in  the  early  part 
of  the  year  It!  17;  her  husband  returned  to  Virginia,  leaving  his  son  to  the 
care  of  .Mr.  Henry  Uolfe,  his  brother. 


PORIRAIT  or  POCAHONTAS. 


689 


"Thomas  Kolfi.'  rctiii'iiiHl  Id  Vir^'iiiiii,  tiiiil  tluTo  iiiari'icil,  iiml  died,  leaving 
an  only  cliilil,  Jane,  who  nianii'd  Coloiicl  IJoIutI  Bolliii;:,  and  ilicil,  h'avinj;  an 
only  child,  John  ltullin<;,  whose  daiifihtcr  Jane,  iiiarricd  Hicliiird  Itandolph,  of 
Cnrlcs,  in  the  oounty  of  lluniico,  iSliiti-  of  Vir^iinia.  Their  son  Jtyhind,  who 
owned  and  resided  uii  the  |iatrinionial  estate,  after  receiving  his  education  in 
England,  was  infornieil  that  the  jiortraits  of  Pocahontas  and  Holfe.  were  in  tlio 
possession  of  a  gentleman  in  Knghind,  whose  name  is  now  forgotten. 

"  lie  wrote  to  his  friend  in  Knghind,  to  endeavor  to  pnrchase  them  for  him : 
when  the  gentleman  was  applied  to,  and  informed  that  Mr.  Han<lolph  was  a 
descendant  of  Pocahonta,s  and  Holfe,  he  i)resenled  liie  porlrails  lo  Mi.  Han- 
dolph,  whose  friend  sent  thorn  to  Virgir.i'  where  they  arri\ed  safely,  and 
wore  hung  tip  in  Mr.  Randolph's  mansion,  Turkey  1-hind. 

"  Mr.  Randolph  liied  in  the  year  17^4.  Soon  after  his  death,  his  estate  was 
puhlicly  sold,  and  these  ))ortraits  were  ]iurcluised  hy  Mr.  Thomas  ladling,  of 
Cohh.s,  in  the  county  of  ("hesterfudd,  at  twenty  shillings  ca.'h,  that  lieing  the 
appraised  value;  owing  to  the  fidhiwing  agreement: — Mr.  Thomas  Itolling, 
and  four  other  dr-sccndants  of  I'oealinntas.  were  each  anxious  to  pnri-ha.sc  the 
pictures;  and  a  (U'oposition  was  Tnade  to  dcciile  hy  lot,  which  of  the  ''ve  .should 
have  them,  and  .Mr.  Rolling,  hciug  the  niarcst,  was  permitted  to  purchase 
them  without  opposition. 

"This  statement  was  made  to  me  hy  my  father,  l>aviil  .Meade  Ramlolph, 
who  was  the  executor  of  Ryiand  Randolph,  and  sold  the  pictures. 

''The  inventory  and  account  of  ."ales  may  In."  seen  in  the  odice  of  the  county 
court  of  Henrico. 

"RTCHARD  RANDOLPH. 

"  Wathington,  Ut  April,  1842." 

2d,  Copy  of  a  letter  to  Mr.  U.  M.  Sully,  from  Mr.  W.  F.  Simpson,  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

"  fV/.An/.  l:{//,  .  I  »,/«*/,  1h;U). 
"  Dear  Sum.Y: — Yoti  requested  me  a  few  days  ago  lo  call  ami  see  the  por- 
trait of  Pocahontas  you  have  lately  heen  Imsy  ujion,  fmni  the  one  which  you 
borrowed  from  her  descendants  at  (Johhs.  1  did  .--o  last  evening  while  yoti 
were  from  home,  and  feel  much  j)Ieasure  in  hearing  testimony  to  the  style  in 
which  you  have  executed  your  trust,  a  task  so  dillicult  front  the  nnitilated  si:ite 
of  the  original  picture,  that  I  really  thought  it  almost  impossihle  for  ymi  lo 
Hiicceed  as  completely  as  you  liave  ilone.  It  is  failhful  lo  a  letter,  jierhaps 
more  so  than  is  jmlilii;  since  had  you  maile  some  little  alteration  in  her  lady- 
ship's position,  and  dresseil  her  ratlu'r  more  in  acciirdance  «iiii  thi'  ta>le  if 
this  after  age,  I  have  no  doiiht  the  piclun-  would  tell  heller  nilh  the  majoriiy 
of  those  who  nuiy  hereafter  sec  it.  I  of  course  think  ynu  (piilc  right  in  ^tiik* 
ilig  lis  rigidly  to  tlie  '  letter  of  iLo  lutt    us  you  have  done.  " 


540 


PORTRAIT   OF   POCAHONTAS. 


8d,  Copy  of  ft  Htatcnu-nt  from  Doctor  T.  RubinHon,  of  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
August  UO,'  1H4;J. 

"  Tlic  Iiiilian  piclMri'  rnpicil  liy  Mr.  Sully,  tbc  original  of  wliicli  is  now  in  my 
])0!»!'(i'.-iion,  \as  .«iliown  to  nic  at  CoMis,  some  Mcvcniccn  or  cigliteon  years  ago, 
by  Mr.  Itolling,  as  llie  portrait  of  I'ocaliontas ;  Mrs.  H.,  tben  proprietor  of  tlie 
portrait,  was  lifrsclf  !i  descenilant  of  Pocahontas,  anil  wiilow  of  tlie  representa- 
tive of  i'owliattan.  A  >iiglit  inspeelion  of  llie  eostiiuie  satisiieil  me  tliat  this 
was  the  only  portrait  of  a  female  painleil  in  the  reign  uf  Juincs  I.  among  the 
family  |)ietiires. 

"  With  very  great  pleasure  I  hear  testimony  to  the  rigid  fiilelily  with  wliieh 
Mr.  Sully  litis  e.ipieil  this  very  interesting  ]iortrait,  notwithstanding  the  teiiipta- 
tion  to  rertain  alteratioiis  in  eonformity  with  the  romantie  spirit  of  the  history 
of  the  niilividual  wIkum  it  represents,  by  which  the  elTect  might  have  been  in- 
creased, wiiliout  impairing  the  likeness.  From  every  thing  of  this  kind  Mr. 
Sully  has  ttilh  great  propriety  abstained,  while  the  likeii'e.ss,  costiune,  and  at- 
lituile  have  been  pri'served  with  great  e.vactne.ss. 

"  The  i>ri;:inal  is  eninibling  so  rapidly,  that  it  iniiy  be  considered  as  luiving 
already  passed  out  of  existence. 

"T.  ROIIINSOX. 

"  I'rlrmr.lini,  Aw/ll^l  l'<>,  1h:5(1." 


4th,  t'opy  of  a  statement  from  Mrs.  .\nne  Robinson,  of  Virginia. 


mm  mv  ei 


rliest 


rei'ollccllon 


1  hi 


liive   been    accuslome 


d  t( 


llh 


pictiirt 


eo|(ieil  by  Mr.  Sidly,  in  the  house  of  my  grandfather,  Mr.  T.  Ibilling,  of  t'oblis; 
it  was  always  shown  as  the  ])iirtriiil  of  i'oeahontas.  Mr.  T.  Ibdling  was  the 
representative  of  Powhallan;  my  grandmother,  Mrs.  I>itty  Ibdliiii:,  eipially 
distant  from  Pocahontas;  neither  entertained  a  doubt  that  the  pieluie  in 
ipiestioii  was  a  portrait  of  Pocahontas.  My  father,  also  a  descendant  of  Pora- 
lioiitas,  was  well  acipiainled  with  the  hislcu'V  of  the  picture. 

"ANNK  ROIUNSOX." 

."ith,   Kvtraet  of  a  letter  from  |).  M.' Kandolph  to  R.  M.  Sully. 

Yurkloifn.  l(l//(  X /•I,„iIh'i;  ls:!t). 

"  Aliout  the  year  17>^>'-!'.  I  resiiled  at  Presipie  Isle,  one  mile  from  Itermiida 
Hundred.  <  (ecasioimlly  interchanging  vi>its  of  hospitality  with  the  masters 
of  vessels  while  in  that  port,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  bei'ome  intimate  with 
a  captain  .loseph  Watson,  of  the  brig  .laiu',  of  Washington. 

"This  Captain  Watson  brought  Mr.  I{and>il|di  a  parcel  of  books. 

"  Thes<>  I ks  were  acciuupiinicd  by  a  long  letter  from  .lonah  Wheeler  of 

the  respeetable  eoinmereial  house  of  tierard,  Preston,  Winder  ilt  Wheeler,  tben 
"xisting  in  Liverpool.     The  books  were  presented  by  Mr.  Wheeler,  from  his 


PORTRAIT  OF   POCAHONTAS. 


641 


hnunff  unilcrstoofl  my  character  n.s  a  funiicr,  nnd  my  iinnic  as  «  aesccndant  of 
PoiMiliontiis. 

"Mr.  Wlioolcr  stilted  that  he  had  heard  '  liiH  motlicr  relate  the  circumstnnco 
of  a  Mr.  Raiu>)lph  or  llolliiif;,  havin;;  in  their  (hiy  been  over  to  Enghuid  and 
goiiif^  down  into  Warwiekshire,  one  hniidred  and  fifty  milcti  from  London,  in 
piirsiiit  of  the  portraits  of  Mr.  Rolfe  and  Poeahontas ;'  tlie  jientleman,  ho 
Haid,  offered  a  hirge  jiriec  for  the  pietures,  hut  the  family  who  had  them, 
themselve.s  not  deseendants  from  Poeahontas,  hut  from  Kolfc,  di»duininj,'  a 
l>n'iHium,  frenerously  gave  the  same  to  Hyland  Kandolph,  who  satisfied  them 
of  his  better  pretensions  to  so  valuable  a  possession.  1  retain  a  perfect  reeid- 
le<tion  of  their  being  hrouglit  over  from  England  by  my  uiude,  their  first  ap- 
pearanee  at  Turkey  Island,  and  lastly  their  sale,  by  myself,  acting  as  clerk  to 
my  father,  the  administrator,  in  the  month  of  March,  17H4.  Our  estimable 
felloweiti/en,  Fayette,  was  he  now  among  us,  would,  I  believe,  identify  the 
l.i.-turcs  atid  confirm  their  history,  from  the  fact  of  his  intimacy  with  Ryliitul 
Uiiiidolph,  whose  house  served  for  his  liead-(iuarters  a  considerable  time  in  the 
iiieniorable  camiiui'zn  of  1781. 

"  Yours,  he.  D-  M.  RANDOLPH." 

There  arc  additional  documents  before  us;  hut  we  rest  the  genuineness  of 
the  copy  taken  by  Mr.  Stdly,  as  also  that  of  the  original,  upon  the  above 
proofs,  with  the  assurance  that  the  picture  in  this  work  is  a  perfect  copy  by 
Sully  from  the  original. 


END  or  VOL,  n. 


